Surviving Friends With Tails
by In2lalaland
Summary: Duo gets used as a guinea pig by a revengeful scientist, so why is Wufei the one who keeps getting the short end of the stick? 2x5x2, War time. Dedicated to all the cat lovers out there.
1. Chapter 1

Surviving Friends With Tails

Duo gets used as a guinea pig by a revengeful scientist, so why is Wufei the one who keeps getting the short end of the stick? 2x5x2, War time. (Dedicated to all the cat lovers out there.)

-

Another part of my fanfiction cliché project. This time it's the Neko theme I'm taking on.

For those who don't know, Neko is Japanese for cat and is often used to describe a person with cat ears and tail, sometimes even paws.

And when I said "dedicated to all the cat lovers" I had a specific cat lover in mind. Kichikoneko who wrote a side story in Wufei's POV for her story 'If Only' when I asked.

* * *

Chapter 1

'_You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats. - _American proverb

* * *

The transmitter made a sharp beeping noise before Quatre's exhilarated voice rang out in Nataku's cockpit, drowning out the vibrating rumble from the engine.

"04 to 05, the reaper is in the meadow, shake off the snow and return to the three house."

"Acknowledged. 05 out." Wufei responded before giving in to the luxury of closing his eyes in relief for just a second. They found him. They finally found him.

They had been so sure that Duo was dead and to know that they had been wrong was beyond pleasing. To have him back was beyond words.

Duo had been given a relatively easy mission, at least for someone of Duo's skills. It was a simple assassination. A scientist, working for a private company was on the verge of selling a biological weapon to Oz that could be devastating for their side of the war.

Orders were: Kill the target, destroy all the research in the building.

All had gone according to plan. The scientist had been found by authorities the next day in the burned ruins of his house and private lab. The official story was that the cause of the fire was an electrical malfunction and that Dr Emerson had died in his sleep from smoke inhalation.

The only problem was that Duo did not show up at the safe house the next day as planned.

Deathscythe had been hidden exactly where Duo's log had said it would be, but there was not a trace of its pilot.

That had been six month ago.

'Nothing had been the same without him,' Wufei admitted to himself. The war had never felt as dark and hopeless as when there was no one there to take your mind off it, to crack an inappropriate joke or just plain piss you off.

Wufei never realized just how much he depended on Duo's presence, his optimism, and his distractions, to keep himself on track, to keep him focused. That was until he lost him.

But they had him back now.

Just a week ago, Trowa had found a file with Duo's picture in it during an undercover mission in a higher officer's privet safe. The file had only said that Duo was a volunteer, but not for what or where. Duo sure didn't look like he volunteered to anything from where he was glaring daggers at the person behind the camera, his jaw almost black of bruising.

They had managed to track the file to an underground laboratory in Sri-Lanka, owned by a rich surgeon, who at one point had worked together with Dr. Emerson.

Heero had hacked into the labs security system, getting full control of the surveillance cameras, using their own technology against them. The second Heero had confirmed that Duo was located there, they attacked.

Wufei, who together with Trowa had been assigned to take care of any help coming from Oz, had been forced to wait anxiously while Quatre and Heero got Duo out.

And now he was free to breathe easily again… or as soon as he managed to shake the annoying Leos that were coming after him. Wufei frowned as he positioned his gundam to attack.

* * *

Barely half an hour later, Wufei managed to get rid of his enemies. Leos really was dishonorably weak opponents, canon fodder sent out by men too cowardly to fight on their own. After a long flight where he made sure that he wasn't followed, Wufei returned to their latest hide out.

Their gundams were hidden in an abandoned flight hangar located in the middle of a seemingly endless forest. It was far enough from the nearest town to make sure that no one ever took the time to walk all the way out there to explore the restricted area. If they even knew that it existed. The only road there had been over grown long ago, showing no signs of once being a heavily traveled path.

Nataku landed effortlessly next to Sandrock and Wufei shut all the systems down. He climbed down quickly and started running, barely pausing to lock up and set the alarm before making his way over the old runway. The concrete had long ago given way for grass, small trees and a sea of dandelions making its abandoned status even more obvious. The wind that managed to pick up its speed over then empty runway gave him an extra boost as he almost flew towards his destination.

The fence that once had circled the entire area now hardly deserved the name and Wufei ducked through one of the many large holes in it. The surrounding forest was thick and old and ancient oaks stood like marble pillars, holding up the roof of leaves. The pilots had tried not to create any paths between the safe house the hangar, but at the moment, Wufei couldn't have cared less. He needed to get back as fast as he could so that he could see with his own eyes that Duo was alive.

Half an hour later he stumbled out into a large, unkempt garden. Wild rose buses lined the weed covered garden path that he started running down. His heavy boots slapped loudly against the stones, softened slightly by plants that got in his way. He ran past a large pond covered in water lilies, floating just as calm and just as white as the swans beside them. The large birds watched him curiously as he past them, but he paid them no mind. He was too focused on reaching his lost comrade. Wufei left the patch, taking a shortcut up a hill and past the old pavilion standing on top of it. There, on the other side, was the old, almost palace looking building that were their latest safehouse.

The once white, now light brown, wooden building had four floors and an out of place looking tower standing in the middle. It made you question in just what era it had been build and just what the architect had been smoking.

Duo would most likely think it looked like a brownie with a candle in the middle. Inspired by the thought, Wufei pushed himself to run the last distance up to the house.

You had to be careful when you pushed one of the double doors open since they were on the verge of falling off. Wufei didn't care. He just about ripped it off in his haste to get through. The large hall that could be found on the other side stank of rotting wood and mold. There were several doors leading on to different parts of the house but Wufei ran forward, following a dark hallway further and further in, past termite infested furniture and crocked paintings. It opened up into another large hall shaped like a large dome with a wide, almost majestic wooden staircase, spiraling upwards in the middle. He knew that the stairs led all the way up to the top of the tower, even if he himself had never gone there. He had been informed by a too pale Trowa that if they though the stair was crap at the bottom, they didn't want to see the top.

The floorboard protested loudly under his feet as he hurried towards the stairs. A saner person then a wanted terrorist would not willingly put his foot on the obviously unstable spiraling stair but Wufei didn't spare the rotting wood a single thought as he rushed on. The second floor contained everything from a ballroom to a fancy dining room, but also what the pilots had chosen to call a kitchen. It was the closest thing they could manage when the original one were beyond saving.

It had a sink, or more exactly the room now had a sink since Heero had taken down the wall that had separated their kitchen from the bathroom on the other side. Their kitchen did therefore, not only have a sink, it had a toilet too. Trowa had managed to find an old noisy refrigerator that they had dragged up the stairs, placing it next to the sink. An old washing mashing stood in the far corner with a couple of clothing lines hanging above it. The table and chairs standing in the middle of the room had been collected from the third floor, the only part of the house spared from most of the rot, mold or water damage.

Wufei didn't spare their make-do kitchen a look as he reached the top of the stair, his eyes landed on just one person.

"Duo." He breathed out in relief, like he hadn't dared to really believe it until he saw the other pilot with his own eyes.

Duo slowly turned his head towards him from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, clutching a mug of what looked like tomato soup. The braided boy swallowed several times before he managed to rasp out a "Hey" in a broken voice. Duo looked like death warmed over, like someone who hadn't slept or eaten in far too long. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was several shades too pale. He was dressed in big, baggy clothes in a dirty, gray color with a black cloth wrapped around his head like a turban.

Wufei let himself hold for just a few seconds as he let his lungs catch up, before he felt a rarely used grin spread over his face. He quickly strode over to his comrade, gripping his arm in greeting.

He wasn't usually one for such bold and affectionate greetings, but on the other hand, it wasn't every day that one of your comrades came back from the dead.

"It's good to see you again Maxwell, you have been missed."

Duo gave him a tired smile, but the joy in his eyes told him that his uncharacteristic show of sentimental was appreciated. Wufei did not turn away as he had done so many times before. For once he hoped that his own happiness was just as visible.

The moment was interrupted by a movement over at the far side of the table. Wufei glanced over at Winner who was obviously hovering, peeking down into Duo's mug to see how much he had eaten.

Duo caught the look and rolled his eyes before nodding his head towards the pot standing on the table. "Soup?" He just about whispered.

"Yes please." Wufei's grin melted down into a comfortable smile. He walked over to take a mug from the draining board standing on the toilet seat, before returning to pull out a chair on the other side of the table.

He pretended not to notice that Duo's hands were shaking as they slowly lifted the mug up to his lips.

Duo might be a bit damaged but he would be alright, they would make sure of it. Feeling content, Wufei sipped his soup.

* * *

Duo could almost not believe that he was free. It was almost like one of the many drugged dreams that he had been having during his stay in _the dungeon_, as he had named it the second that he woke up in the windowless, pale yellow room.

Duo never wanted to see a yellow wall again as long as he lived. Thankfully, the bedroom Quatre showed him to had light green walls and a large window overlooking the unkempt garden and the forest further away. He awkwardly looked around the room, taking in everything. Like the rest of the house, it smelled old and musky but at least it didn't have any mold. A tall wardrobe stood in the far corner, a desk, two chairs on both sides of a small table and a large bed standing in the middle of the room. Duo shivered unhappily. There was no way he was sleeping in it. It was too open, too much like the hospital bed they had strapped him to.

There was a door to his right next to the desk and he slowly crept towards it. Skittishly, he opened it, almost like he expected something to attack him from the other side. Nothing jumped him and a quick look informed him that the door lead to a bathroom. He was grateful to see that he had his own. It would make things easier.

He walked in, turning on the light before closing the door behind him and locking it. Then he unlocked it before locking it again, just to be sure.

Slowly he turned towards the mirror. His tired, haunted-looking face stared right back at him.

Damn, he looked like crap. No wonder Quatre had hovered over him like crazy. He looked pale. Too pale, too thin, too sick to still be alive. Duo actually wasn't sure that he really wasn't dead after all.

His lifted his hands, slowly started to unwrap the cloth that he had bound around his head the second he heard the alarms going off and the unmistakable sound of Wing's powerful beam rifle.

The black cloth fell to the floor. For a second, Duo could not lift his eyes off the dirty rags, scared off what he was going to see in the mirror.

With a shaky breath, he looked up.

Large, golden brown cat ears were poking out of the bird's nest that was his hair.

"Oh god, it's worse than I thought." He whispered, leaning forward over the sink. The ears twitched at his distress, proving that no, they were not a part of a fancy masquerade costume.

He pushed his hair to the side to get a better look. Black stitches that were lining the edge of the ears, holding them to his head as they were slowly merging with his own skin.

The thing that made his skin crawl wasn't just that they were attached to his head, no the fact that he could hear almost everything around him did. He could hear the sound of Heero working on his computer a few doors down, Quatre and Trowa was talking quietly on the floor below. Luckily he couldn't make out the words since he was pretty sure that they were talking about him. He leaned forward, tipping his head as he tried to look into the ears to see just how much effort they had put into making the damned things authentic. Duo had never looked into a cat's ear, but he had the feeling that it would look very much like what he was looking at now. The ear opening was dark and deep.

Duo shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. He could still feel the vibration and the sound of the drill they used on his skull before the drugs pulled him under.

Not stopping to think, Duo took a hold of the bottom of his sweater, pulling it over his head. He ignored the way his ribs were pressed out against his skin to turn around to take a look at his back in the mirror.

He had a large, cross shaped scar over his back. One following his spine all the way from his tail bone and up to the edge of his skull and one straight across his hip.

He hovered his fingers over the rough looking area. It didn't hurt but Duo feared it. What exactly had those bastards done that made it necessary to cut him open like this?

Duo sank down on the cold floor, staring at his hands. His nails looked too thick and as he stared at them, they extract out off his fingers, growing long and sharp. Impossible to deny, he had claws. Long, animalistic ones. His stomach rolled and he wrapped his arms around himself so that he couldn't see them. He felt very alone and he wanted nothing more than for someone to hold him.

But he was too ashamed and too self-conscious to go to one of the other pilots.

Quatre would be the best option but he would ask questions that Duo did not want to answer. Trowa could most likely fake a caring embrace, but they just didn't have that kind of friendship. Heero wouldn't understand what it was he wanted and Wufei had a personal space as large as the moon.

Loneliness echoed inside of him as he left the bathroom and curled up under the bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. He wished that when he woke up, the horrors that he had lived through the last couple of months would be just a bad dream.

* * *

Wufei hesitated. It wasn't his business and it would be rude to interfere, but he was a bit worried. Duo hadn't been acting the same since he came back and Wufei found himself missing the loud happy talking that the other boy used to shower them with.

He had observed his fellow pilot when he could without making it seem like he was following him. It was like Duo couldn't relax, he was always tensed, roaming around the house. Up and down the stairs, opening and closing doors at the strangest times. At any sudden noise, it didn't even have to be very loud, Duo almost jumped out of his skin.

Duo had abandoned the almost turban looking wrapping that he had covered his head in, for a black bandana that were strapped tightly over his head, holding his braid trapped against the back of his neck. His usual tight, black outfit had been exchanged for soft baggy clothes. One of the several too-big gray sweatshirts that Wufei had no idea where he got them from was constantly present. The sleeves were always pulled down as far as they would go, covering Duo's hands. The clothes made him look smaller and younger then he really was, like a child wearing his older siblings cast-offs.

Wufei wanted to ask what was wrong, but Duo would most likely not answer him. They weren't close enough that it would be acceptable for him to invade Duo's privacy to that point. Quatre would be the more natural option but it was obvious from Quatre's nervous hovering that Duo wasn't sharing.

At the moment, Duo was trying to make himself comfortable at the end of a couch, but was failing miserably by the looks of it. He was fussing around, pulling at the pillows, twisting around with a look of discomfort on his face.

Wufei sat down on the other side of the couch, putting his glasses on before opening his book. Since Duo almost never stayed in his room during any longer periods of time, he had taken to sleeping on one of the old couches standing in the room next to the kitchen. Wufei suspected that Duo didn't actually sleep during the night and that the cat naps that he was taking during the day was all the sleep he got. Wufei, who had never put a foot in this specific room before had taken to reading in there just so that he could keep an eye on the braided pilot.

He didn't know how to approach the other boy. Human interaction wasn't one of his strong points and he was at a loss. He supposed that just being there was going to be the most he could give right then.

He flipped the page, aware that he couldn't remember a single word he had read.

He glanced over at Duo who was absently rubbing his lower back with a pained expression on his face.

Wufei put a finger between the pages, looking over at the other pilot. "Is your back hurting?"

Duo jumped, twisting in his seat until his whole body was facing him. Wide eyed he stared at Wufei, body so still that it appeared like he had stopped breathing. The air was thick with tension.

A couple of unbelievably long seconds later, Wufei forced himself to go on, despite the awkwardness. "If you are in pain, I could help." Learning how to give a massage had not been a part in his training, but he knew the theory behind it. To understand your own body's movement and limitations, you had to know about your own muscle structure.

Duo didn't say anything, he just, in what seemed like a nervous gesture, tightened the bandana around his head, forcing it down.

"I'm not an expert, but I know how to relieve tension."

Duo violently shook his head before bolting out off the room without a word.

Wufei was left staring after him in confusion.

* * *

Duo didn't show up for lunch. It was unusual, but not unheard of so no one questioned it.

Then when Duo didn't show up for dinner, Wufei became worried, even more so then before.

"Maybe we should go up with some food." He suggested quietly, feeling guilty for upsetting his fellow pilot, even if it had not been his intention.

Quatre shook his head. "I already tried at lunch, he won't open the door." He looked over at the stair as if willing Duo to come down.

"I'll give it a try." He said quietly. It wasn't that he thought that he was going to have better luck then Quatre, especially since the blond was actually a friend of Duo, not just a fellow pilot. But his honor wouldn't let him give up without trying.

He filled the plate up with spaghetti and the pasta sauce that Trowa had made. He also made sure to bring a large glass of water since the banged pilot had a habit of using a bit too much spices.

He made his way up the creaking stair and over to the end of the corridor. Trapping the glass between his forearm and chest he raised his free hand and knocked on the door. There was no response. He tried again but with the same result. The door was unlocked, but it would be dishonorable to just step in, he could not be that rude to someone who wished to be alone.

He knocked once again. "Duo, if you don't want me to open the door, then let me know." He waited for a second, but there was not a sound. "I'm coming in now." He said, pushing the handle down and stepped in. Duo wasn't in the room but the window was open, curtains dancing in the breeze.

He put the plate and glass down on the desk by the door, hoping that the other teen would be back soon and that he would feel like eating then.

He went back down stairs, settling in with his book once again. The room felt very empty when Duo wasn't sleeping on the other side of the couch.

Time past and as the dark started to fall, he put a bookmark between the pages and got to his feet. The house was quiet apart from the tortured creaking of the stair as he made his way up to the third floor.

His room was at the end of a long hallway and he glanced over to its other side. Duo's door was still firmly closed. He shook his head; there was nothing he could do. He didn't know why he even tried. He wasn't the type to befriend people, he was a loner and he had always been one. Even as a young child he had never had friends, just acquaintances at the boarding school who he would share meals and lessons with.

Wufei looked away. Duo most likely had more than enough on his plate to deal with his fumbling tries of friendship. It sure didn't help that Duo was one of the most attractive guys he had ever seen. Things like that had a way of making conversations more difficult.

Wufei had always had a hard time talking to attractive boys. Hell, he had a hard talking to people under normal circumstances but when it was pretty boys, well, he was pretty much screwed before he even opened his mouth. He would get flustered and uncomfortable which made him stressed and annoyed. His reaction was more often than not to rant angrily and drive people away from him. Problem solved. Unfortunately he did not want to drive Duo away so that method was out.

With a sigh he opened his bedroom door, only to pause when he noticed that there was a small piece of folded paper lying on the floor. It must have been pushed in under the door. He picked it up, unfolding it. All it said was 'thank you' in small crooked letters.

Wufei smiled and closed the door behind him. Maybe he was getting a hang of this friendship thing after all.

* * *

AN

I feel like I've been around too many cats lately and it's only going to get worse XD PLEASE! Tell me what you thought about the chapter. I will be extremely happy if you do.

A applaud to Smartass_shrimp who beta read this for me, without her this would never have been posted. Hopefully she will be able to stick around for a while despite me curse (I'm starting to lose count of how many beta readers have fallen under it).

Next chapter will be posted on Friday.

Now to something completely different.

As some of you might know I put up a poll to find out which fiction you wanted me to finish first. My dark eyed wallflower quickly ended up on first place with over half of the votes while Isn't life a kick in the crouch was a pretty close second, followed by Normal people's sequel. There was no misunderstandings there... until now.

Since I finished Wallflower I started working on Kick and everything was going well. Then I looked at the poll. Kick and Normal people have the same amount of votes now. Shit. I would have ignored it and kept writing on Kick if it wasn't for some people who had been pretty insistent that I should update Normal people *cough*cristalake*cough.*

So now it's up to you. Isn't life a kick in the crouch or Normal people? I will keep the poll open for another two weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A baited cat may grow as fierce as a lion.- Samuel Palmer_

* * *

"Are you injured?!" Wufei shouted over the harsh sound of gun fire.

"No." Came the panting respond as Duo collapsed down next to him behind the tipped over car. The sharp sound of bullets slamming against metal made his ears ring. There were four to five guards attacking them from over by the other side of the court yard, but they were not advancing beyond the large containers they were taking cover behind, at least not at the moment. It wouldn't take long before more guards joined in at the sound of gunshot. The only reason why there weren't more guards around was because the factory was old and mostly used to repair broken suit parts, so security wasn't top notch, something that didn't stop the two pilots from being in one hell of a mess.

They had been sent in to get back Wing's 'brain' - so to say, from the Oz factory that had gotten their hands on it after Heero's latest self-destruction. Wufei's job had been to find the computer box, while Duo made sure that there would be nothing left but a smoking ruin when they left.

The box hadn't been hard to locate. Not when you grabbed to first computer geek you could find, put a gun to his head and asked where you could find it. The young and newly recruited never had enough loyalty towards OZ to risk their lives to do something foolish; they just did as they were told.

Unfortunately they had been spotted, which would be why they were now hiding behind what was left of their escape car.

Wufei spotted a guard who were trying to sneak behind a couple of barrels in hope of getting closer. It was the last thing he ever did. Wufei lowered his gun, trying to see if there were any more of them trying something. In the background he could hear someone shouting someone's name. Since there were no responds, Wufei assumed that 'Jonathan' was the name of the man he had just killed. There were a grief strained 'you fucking bastards!' before another rain of bullets fell against the ruins of the car.

They couldn't stay there much longer; either someone would manage to hit the tank or more OZ soldiers were going to arrive. The box was too heavy to run with and they couldn't leave it behind. They needed a new vehicle.

He turned to his companion, ready to share his thoughts when his attention was caught by a sharp movement on top of Duo's head.

For a second he was convinced that some kind of animal had jumped up on Duo's head, but then he realized that that was not the case.

Duo had lost his bandanna somewhere along the way and now, something that looked like chestnut colored cat ears were sticking up like two mountain in his wild hair. The furry ears flicked back and forth, like they were trying to keep track of every single sound in their surroundings. Duo's eyes were stuck on the shooting soldiers and Wufei's gapping mouth went unnoticed.

He shook himself. This was not the time for this; they had to get out of here.

"This sucks." Duo declared as he turned to him with a grim smile on his lips. "We so need to get out of here man." The large ears were flickering like crazy and Wufei had to force himself not to stare. "Any ideas?" Duo asked him as he checked the magazine on his gun.

Wufei once again ripped his eyes away from Duo's new accessories and looked over at the open hangar door on the other side of the yard. "I'm going back in; there were a few vehicles in there. Just hold you position and I'll come back for you and the box." He carefully took a look past their shield, trying to establish the enemy's whereabouts. From what he could see, they were still behind the containers, which were in direct line with the open space he had to cross to get to the hangar. "You still have some of those bombes, right?"

Duo nodded, patting his backpack.

"Good, do you think you could distract them while I run?"

"Of course, I'm nothing if not distracting." Duo joked weakly before opening the bag. He roamed around for a second before he got two fist sized bombes out. They were nothing like Wufei had ever seen before. Egg shaped black containers with a pin sticking out on top. "This is one of my own toys." Duo grinned happily like there weren't people shooting at them. "The design is old but brilliant, I ju-"

Wufei cut him off. "Great, just get them off my back."

Duo didn't appear like the brush off had bothered him, he just kept on grinning. "Sure, run at the sound of a bang." Duo turned around, getting to his knees with one of the bombs in his hand. "Get ready." He leered, hocking his finger around the pin.

Wufei got into a starting position, praying that he wouldn't wind up like Jonathan, shoot in the back while running for cover.

The sound of an earth shattering explosion startled him into motion. For half a second he wasn't sure just whose side was responsible for it, but he kept running. Then Duo's maniac laughter reached him. "Whhoow!!! That was awesome! You guys ready for another one?!"

Wufei ducked in through the hangar doors. Another loud boom echoed outside followed by screams of pain.

Wufei ran further in, past large crates of spare parts and half finished Leo's lying like broken dolls on the steal floor. Another set of doors led him in to the garage that contained several of OZ's standard terrain cars. Just what he needed. A couple of mechanics were hiding in a small office and they quickly handed over the keys to a car when Wufei placed a bullet in one of their thighs.

"Finally things are going my way." Wufei muttered as he started the car, stepping hard on the gas.

Wufei was fully prepared to be shot to pieces when he returned, but as he got out he was meet by… silence. For a terrifying moment he thought that they had managed to overrun Duo and kill him.

Only that Duo was standing calmly over by the smoking ruins of the containers that the soldiers had taken cover behind.

The air stank of burning flesh and ash.

"What happened?" He questioned faintly. He had barely been gone for a minute, how was it possible?

Duo shrugged with a numb look on his face.

Deciding that he didn't need to know, Wufei waved him over. "Right, come on then before more of them shows up."

The other pilot nodded and lifted the heavy box up to lean it against his hip. He walked around the car to load it into the back before jogging over to the empty passenger seat.

Wufei gave him a quick look as he sat down. Duo had found an oil-stained rag somewhere and wrapped it hard around his head. It looked painfully tight.

They drove several miles before dumping the car in the woods and stole another one from a camping family. People really gave up quickly when you started waved a gun around. It reminded Wufei of why he was fighting this blasted war. No one should have to put up with that kind of fear and pointless violence.

They got in to the small, relatively new car, the black box safe in the back and started driving.

"So are you going to tell me what that is?" Wufei asked when they had traveled silently for half an hour.

Duo shrunk in his seat, looking down at his hands that were once again hidden in the sleeves of his sweater. He looked very out of place in the clean family car. A smiling, stuffed lion was hanging from the rearview mirror, dangling back and forth as Wufei drove them just a little bit too fast over the bumpy forest road. The sharp contrast between the happy lion and the bloody, dirty terrorists sitting in the car was ridiculous and Wufei wanted to rip it down just so that it would stop smiling at them. There was nothing to smile at in a situation like this.

But nevertheless, a ghost of a smile started to spread over the braided teens face as he leaned back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head, in obviously fake comfort.

"A little souvenir from the crack head doctor I stayed at." He said easily. "What do you think? Should I have gotten a blond pair instead?"

Wufei frowned, steering the car through a sharp turn. "I hardly think this is something to joke about."

Duo made a dismissive sound as he clung to the handle above the door.

"I asked out of concern and I would appreciate an answer."

Duo tightened his jaw, staring straight ahead.

"If something ha-"

He cut himself off as Duo slammed his fist into the glove compartment, cracking the plastic hatch. "What do you want me to say?! I don't know!" He screamed and Wufei had to force himself to keep an eye on the road. "They kept me drugged and strapped down in a Frankenstein version of a hospital bed for _six months_! Or at least that's what I'm told because it sure as _hell_ felt longer then that! I don't know what they did! All I have is nightmares of being cut open and masked surgeons putting a drill to my head! Is that what you wanted to know? Is your curiosity satisfied now?"

Wufei flinched. "I- I- um." Damn, he was so bad at this. He really should just stay away from all unnecessary human interaction.

The silence was heavy in the car and Wufei desperately tried to find something to say, but he couldn't find the words. He wasn't equipped to handle situations like this. What was he supposed to say? Apologize for asking about the _cat ears_ stuck to his head or show his sympathy for what had happened? He had no idea.

"They work you know." Duo said, laughing a little hysterical, eyes staring blindly ahead. "I can hear almost everything, I can hear the damn bugs on the ground,"

Wufei couldn't even begin to imagine what Duo was going through. Hell, he could not even imagine how it was even possible. They drove silently for almost an hour before Duo spoke up again.

"Please don't tell the others." He asked in a small voice.

It would be irresponsible to leave something so important from the rest of your team. They didn't know what type of damage had been done to Duo and he had a hard time believing that a pair of fancy ears was the only thing. But looking in to Duo's big, hopeful eyes, logic abandoned him. "I won't" He said, turning back to the road. He really was a sucker when it came to pretty boys.

* * *

They had not talked about Wufei's discovery since they got back two days ago. Wufei didn't know how to bring it up and the only thing he had suggested as a solution was to take Duo to a doctor. Sally Poe would be the obvious candidate since she was already aware of their status as gundam pilots. Unfortunately, Duo had shot down that plan by refusing. There was not much he could do then without breaking his promise. If he didn't knock Duo out and drag him away of course… but he had a feeling that he would live to regret it if he did.

Wufei sighed, once again trying to concentrate on the book in his hand instead of his fellow pilot down the hall. He leaned back in the comfortable arms chair that he had found in one of the house many rooms. The couch that Duo slept on stank of mold and some of the springs were broken. He refused to sit there if it wasn't as an excuse to keep an eye on Duo. He had searched through several rooms before he had found this chair. It had a high back, just enough springs in the seat to be comfortable and made in soft, yellow velvet. It really was a nice chair, one that Wufei was going to miss when they changed safe house.

The window was open, letting the fresh, evening air into the room. Putting his bare feet up on the matching foot chair, he let himself relax and enjoy his book.

A few minutes later, a soft knock made him look over at the open doorway.

Duo hung back by the door, looking awkward. "Hey, Wufei." He hesitated, gripping the door frame through the sleeved of his sweater. "Do you have a moment?"

Wufei blinked in surprise. It was clear that this was about a personal subject. He didn't really have much experience in handling these kind of things and he didn't know what was expected of him.

"Of course, please come in." He said, getting to his feet.

Duo hesitated before he stepped in, closing the door behind him. They stood silently, looking at each other. Wufei felt really out of place and decided that the best he could do was to wait for Duo to tell him what he needed so that he could adapt after his wishes.

The other boy fidgeted nervously, pulling the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt further down over his hands. "I-" He started, but cut himself off, eyes stuck on the floor.

Wufei put his book down on the small table next to him, turning his full attention to the nervous looking teen. He figured that Duo might need a slight push. "What can I do for you, Duo?"

Duo took a shaky breath, looking over at him. "I need you to look at t- the ears, they itch and I can't see properly."

Wufei relaxed in relief; that was something he could do. "Of course." He gesticulated for Duo to sit down in the yellow armchair.

Duo eyed the innocent looking chair before skittishly dragging his feet over to it. He squirmed as he sat down, pulling at his sleeves.

Wufei stood back, waiting until Duo had taken the tight bandana off his head.

And there they were; the large pointy cat ears that seemed too big for Duo's head. They were both twitching nervously but seemed focused on Wufei even when their owner was staring at the floor like he was waiting for it to swallow him up.

He reached out to touch one of them and he felt Duo flinch. "I'll be careful." He assure him as he stepped closer, brushing the thick hair to the side.

The skin looked slightly irritated, most likely from the way Duo had forced them to lie flat against his head, but it was the stitches that drew his attention. The black, rough looking tread looked ready to be taken out. He bent the ear to the side to look at the back.

Duo hissed angrily, teeth bared as he pulled away from his hand.

Wufei blinked at the animalistic sound. 'Oookay, so there were more changes then just the ears.' He thought, deciding to put more thought into it later and focus on the matter at hand.

"Don't hiss at me. I'm only trying to help so hissing is just rude."

Duo pouted but he didn't protest when Wufei reached out again and took a hold of his ear, bending it to the side to look at the stitches.

"It looks ready to come out. You want me to do it or should we go to Sally?"

Duo squirmed. "Could you do it, please? I don't want anyone else to know."

Wufei, who had expected that answer, nodded solemnly and went to get the first aid box from down stairs.

Later, when he had all the tools he needed lined upon his nightstand he got Duo to lie down on the bed. Being as careful as he could Wufei started to remove the stitches.

One horrible half an hour later, Wufei fastened the bandages along the ears, breathing out a sigh in relief. "I'm done."

"Thanks." Duo whispered, easily rolling off the bed, landing gracefully on his feet. Wufei decided not to say anything about Duo's sudden lack of clumsiness that used to follow the braided boy where ever he went.

"Could I stay, for just a little while?" Duo asked, pulling at his sleeves. "I won't bother you or anything."

Wufei didn't know why Duo wanted to stay, but he found no reason to deny him. "Sure."

Duo smiled in gratitude.

Not knowing what to do, Wufei took a seat in his chair again, lifting his book up. Duo didn't seem bothered by this and made himself comfortable on his bed.

He had expected Duo to get bored quickly without entertainment, but he seemed content just lying curled up on his side, watching Wufei turn the pages through half lidded eyes.

Then, about two hours later, Duo left without another word.

* * *

The next day was a calm, but rainy day.

Duo was for some reason back in his room, lying curled up on his side on his bed.

Wufei found it a bit odd but hadn't commented it when Duo had showed up a while after breakfast, standing pressed against the doorframe with a question in his eyes.

Wufei felt like he should say something but he didn't know how to start up casual conversations. On the other hand, Duo didn't appear to want to talk.

It was strange, but kind of comforting to have Duo in the room, quiet but there. It wasn't like on the second floor with the couches. There Duo would just sleep while Wufei used his book as an excuse to be close to Duo. Here, Duo was the one who choose to be in Wufei's company. But instead of just being in the same room… they were keeping each other company. He couldn't explain why that made all the difference but it did. It was a huge difference.

Every now and then, Duo would move his arm behind himself, rubbing the lower part of his back. It obviously hurt and Wufei decided to try and offer his help again.

"Let me help?" He asked calmly, trying not to let the tension in his body be too obvious.

"No, 'm fine." Duo mumbled as he tightened the bandana around his head.

Wufei put the book down on the table, not even caring that he was losing his place in it. "If you're in pain, I can help."

To give verbal comfort wasn't something he really knew how to do, but to take care of a physical discomfort was something he might be successful at. He hoped.

Duo pulled a bent knee up against his chest, hugging the leg tightly as he stared at the floor. He looked like a scared child. Wufei had no idea how to handle this, but he had gotten himself into this situation and he was going to follow through. He just didn't know how. What would his mother do? She was the only one he knew who had ever treated him like a child. She wouldn't have forced him, she would have said- "…Please?" Wufei tried, the word tasting strange on his tongue.

There was a long hesitation before Duo slowly nodded his bent head. "Do I have to take my clothes off?" He asked softly, almost too softly to be heard. The thought alone seemed to make Duo highly uncomfortable.

It would be easier if he did, but Wufei could see that that was not an option. "No."Duo would probably bolt if he even suggested it. "Just lay down on the bed, arms straight along your sides." Wufei said taking a step back to let Duo lie down. The other boy fidgeted for another moment before he arranged himself like Wufei had asked.

Wufei did a mental preparation that was very similar to what he put himself through before a tough battle. He focused his mind on what he was going to do and washed away all other thoughts. Then slowly, as if not to startle the other boy, he sat down at the edge of the bed. When he was sure that he wouldn't have any… inappropriate thoughts, he got to work. He started by simply warming up the muscles by rubbing them. He then worked his way from the shoulder and down to the edge of the bulky sweatpants. He could feel Duo melting under his touch.

Wufei soon found that giving a massage was a lot easier than he had first though. It was all a matter of finding tensed muscles and concentrate on pressing and rubbing them until they relaxed. He very rarely touched people but he found that it was actually really nice. He felt… close to Duo, like he was someone who mattered, like they were friends.

Then something happened.

At first he almost thought that he was imagining it, then he realized that no, the vibration he felt in his palms really were coming from Duo's torso. A low, pleased sounding purr could soon be heard, growing in strength.

Wufei smiled softly. So that was why Duo hadn't wanted to do this. He mentally added 'purring' to the list of changes. So far, this change was his absolute favorite.

The rumbling purr got even louder as he worked his way down Duo's spine.

The braided pilot looked so content where he was lying, eyes closed in pleasure, lips stuck in a pleased smile. Wufei was relieved to see that smile. Duo had been far too sober and unhappy since he got back. There had not been a single laugh, no teasing, no stupid nicknames, no pranks, nothing. Wufei really hoped that Duo would come to grips with what had happened to him and just accept that changes that had been done.

It would most likely be impossible to reverse whatever had been done and he wished that his comrade wouldn't feel shame for it. Duo shouldn't have to hide this from his fellow pilots.

But right now, Wufei was selfishly pleased that he was the one who got to help Duo, if just a little bit.

He would in a weak moment admit to having a small, very small crush on Duo. The other boy was just so different from anyone he had ever met before. He was too happy, too expressive, and too impulsive for their way of life. But it made Duo unique and fascinating.

Unfortunately, Wufei didn't know how to handle that and would often react with frowns and harsh words. Duo's personality often overwhelmed him, making it almost impossible to interact with him. He didn't know how to react to the light mood and the jokes about situations that should be handled with respect and seriousness. It was like everything was a joke to Duo. Duo who laughed his way through all the pain and death around them like if life was just a gigantic game made just for him.

Wufei wasn't used to that type of personality, feeling more at ease with Quatre's polite nature, Trowa's silence or Heero's mission focus. It didn't help that Duo was far too pretty. Wufei had always had a problem with talking to attractive boys. They made him nervous and tongue-tied, which made him frustrated and angry which in turn made him start ranting. Then the boys would go away and the problem was solved. Yes, Wufei had realized that the situation was not helping him in any way and since his off-on, he wouldn't call him boyfriend but fuck-buddy was close, on L5 had died he was most likely not going to get laid in a very long time. This was most likely the closest he was going to get.

Wufei sighed and forced his thoughts back to what he was doing since they had started to stray into dangerous territories. He was done with the massage but he didn't want to stop. Instead he just dragged a hand down Duo's back, touching him. Duo didn't protest, instead he just shuffled a bit closer, curling up beside Wufei where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Wufei soaked in the closeness, feeling strangely calm in a way that usually took hours of meditation to accomplish. He figured that it had to be the purring's doing as it almost had a hypnotic affect on him. Wufei had no idea how long he sat there, stroking Duo's back softly.

Then the peace was interrupted. At the sound of heavy steps on the creaking floor boards, Duo stiffened, moving away from him as he sat up on the bed. Wufei watched him quietly in the corner of his eye, waiting as the steps came closer. Heero appeared in the doorway, giving them a disinterest look. "Dinner." He said shortly before turning away, walking back the way he came.

Duo quickly got to his feet, hurrying after the other plot without sparing Wufei a glance. Wufei got up to follow, not knowing if he had crossed a line with Duo. This was all new territory for him and he had no idea of knowing if he was about to step on a landmine. Duo soundlessly disappeared out the door, leaving Wufei feeling… alone. He normally didn't feel lonely, too used to his solitude to be affected by it. But Duo's brush off didn't sit well with him. Wufei sighed as he got to his feet brushing the creases away from his baggy white pants.

He supposed that he had read too much into their interaction mistaking it for something close to friendship. It wasn't the first time. Quatre was the closest to a friend he had among the pilots, but he could not claim to ether understand the blond or for him to understand what was going on in his head. Straightening his back, Wufei pushed his disappointment into the shadows of his mind before starting to walk. There was no point in dwelling over things that he could not change.

He calmly closed his bedroom door after himself before following the corridor towards the stairs. But as he reached it, he faltered when he saw Duo resting against the wall a few steps down. The other pilot was looking down towards the second floor, ankles crossed as he leaned his shoulder against the velvet wallpaper. Duo didn't say anything when Wufei came closer, instead the braided boy simply waited until they were on the same level before he started walking down the stair. Side by side they entered the kitchen. Wufei didn't understand but he didn't question it, instead he simply sat down at the table, waiting for Heero to serve them.

Whenever they all stayed at the same safe house they all ate together, something that Heero had insisted on. He was most likely unconvinced of their ability to feed themselves properly to live up to his standard. Heero was in fact a surprisingly good chef; probably because he followed the recipe like it was a mission plan, always with a perfect result. He seemed to prefer dishes that he got to set on fire or hit. Wufei wondered if that was something he should be worried about but decided not to care. If the perfect soldier wanted to take out some aggression through cooking, who was he to question?

After dinner Wufei volunteered to do the dishes. He was determined to do his share of the work as his pride would not let him stand by and let others take responsibility for things that should be done by all of them.

As he filled up the small sink with water, a presence made itself known by slipping in next to him. Wufei looked over at the slightly shorter boy next to him who was awkwardly fumbling with a dishtowel. Duo wouldn't meet his eyes and didn't say anything when Wufei handed the first clean plate over to him.

Wufei turned to the dishes, only to look back at the sound of a sharp, scraping noise. Duo blushed and tried to pull his sleeves down over his hands again without letting go of the dishtowel or the plate. But it was too late, Wufei had already seen the thick, sharp looking nails, crowing Duo's fingers. No, not nails, claws.

Duo squirmed, glancing up at him through the ruffled bangs that were held down over his eyes by the ever present bandana. Wufei looked back, unsure what he should say. In the end, he didn't say anything, he just handed Duo another plate, turning his attention back to the dishwater.

They worked silently together, side by side until all the dishes were clean, dry, and back in on the shell standing next to the toilet.

Wufei dried his hands off, glancing over at Duo. The tension between them was thick.

Duo had taken a seat on top of the waist-high refrigerator, one leg up against his chest, the other swinging, hitting the steel side with soft thumps. He seemed to be looking at everything but Wufei.

Unsure what to do, Wufei turned away and walked towards the stair leaving Duo behind. The steps protested loudly against his weight as he climbed his way up to the third floor. Was there any wonder that Quatre had decided to use 'tree house' as a code for this place. Because not only was everything made in wood, it also felt like you were living in a tree, far from the ground.

Walking up the stair and along the corridor, he thought about this new, strange interaction he had with Duo. He didn't know what to make of it. He didn't have anything to compare it to but he had a feeling that what they were doing wasn't totally normal. But on the other hand, could the word normal really fit on any of the gundam pilots? He pushed the door handle down, opening his bedroom door.

He startled when something brushed against him on its way into the room. He jumped, gripping the door handle in fright. Duo's hunching shape froze just inside the doorway, staring back at him in the wide eyed, quiet way he had done before. Wufei stared back, heart still beating too fast. Just what had been done to Duo for him to be able to follow him that quietly all the way up here?

They stared at each other until Wufei looked away, nervously sidestepping his fellow pilot to walk over to his armchair. Duo turned around, following his movement with his eyes. Wufei pretended not to care and picked up his book, glasses pushed up on his nose. Everything was quiet as he sat down.

Duo started walking but stopped when Wufei looked over at him. Licking his lips, Wufei forced himself to focus on his book. After a minute or so, Duo crossed the room climbing up on Wufei's bed. There he curled up watching Wufei watch him in the corner of his eye.

Wufei looked away, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable. He had no idea what was going on and he felt the familiar need to lash out rise. That would give him the upper hand and chase away this awkward moment. But that would also chase away Duo and he didn't want to do that anymore. So he returned to his reading; letting the written word take him away from there.

They stayed like that for hours. When the dark started to fall Duo got up and left without a word.

* * *

The next day went pretty much the same. Wufei got up, did his katas, ate breakfast with the rest of the pilots and then Duo follow him up to his room.

After hovering in the doorway for a moment he hurried over to Wufei's bed without even glancing at him. Wufei couldn't help but feel pleased over this, seeing it as a sigh that Duo was growing more comfortable in his presence.

Duo laid down on his side, just like he had done before. But instead of relaxing, he was squirming, rolling over on his back before sitting back up. Wufei looked over in question.

"Could you-" Duo cut himself off, looking down to play with the sleeves of his large gray sweater.

"Your back hurting again?" Wufei asked, hopping that he didn't sound as happy over it as he was.

Duo nodded, looking down at his socked feet.

Wufei took a second to collect himself, forcing in all bad thoughts into the shadows before getting to his feet. Thinking about what he really wanted to do with the pretty boy sitting on his bed was something that would only lead to grief.

Duo laid down like he had done before, on his stomach with his arms resting along his sides. Sitting down at the edge of the bed, Wufei had a stray though that it really would be easier to massage Duo's back if he was straddling his hip. No, bad thoughts! Back into the shadows!

Wufei took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He was in control of his body and his mind. Not his cock. He began like the day before by warming up the muscles, letting both Duo and himself get used to the closeness. Then when Duo had melted fully under his ministration, he placed both his hands on Duo's back, pushing them upwards along his spine. The move made Duo's big sweatshirt bundled up under his hands, revealing his naked skin.

Wufei bit back a gasp when he looked down and saw a wide, rough looking scar stretched out over Duo's back. It looked like someone had taken a chainsaw to his spine before slicing up his hip. No wonder Duo was self-conscious about taking his clothes off. The scar gave him a vague idea of what Duo had gone through and just thinking about it made him feel sick. How had Duo lived through those six months?

He carefully pulled Duo's sweatshirt back down, wordlessly moving on.

Wufei felt horrible helpless, his eyes burning behind his tightly close eyelids.

Duo just purred, unconcerned of anything but Wufei's strokes over his back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_"You can keep a dog; but it is the cat who keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals."- George Mikes_

* * *

Duo curled up on Wufei's constantly made bed, looking over at the other boy across the room. His friend was once again sitting in that damn chair of his. Duo would never admit it, but just looking at that yellow velvet was making him nauseous. He really hated that color.

He focused on Wufei instead. He had found it very calming to be around Wufei since the other boy for some reason had stopped being so angry with him all the time. Before, all he had to do to upset Wufei was to look at him. But now Wufei hadn't raised his voice at him once.

But on the other hand, Duo wasn't trying so hard to get his attention anymore. It took too much energy, energy that he didn't feel like wasting at the moment. Especially since his attempts never really worked all that well anyway. Of all the pilots, Wufei had been the most difficult one to befriend. Duo had used every trick he had to get closer to the Shenlong pilot, but it seemed that the more he tried, the angrier Wufei would get. He had almost thought that Wufei was going to kill him that time when he had tried to get him to join him in the pool at one of Quatre's houses. So his arm had been a bit wet when he threw it over his shoulders and maybe it wasn't nice to pull someone close and drag them along, but really, that was no reason to act like Duo had tried to kill him. Wufei had been so angry that his face had been a permanent red for days when ever Duo got even close to him.

Things were different now. Wufei had obviously forgiven him while he had been 'dead' and had even said that he had missed him. Duo had almost thought that he was hallucinating when that happened.

It also appeared that the less he tried, the easier it was to be around Wufei.

Duo yawned and stretched his arms out over his head, wiggling his fingers inside the sleeves of his sweater. Spending the night under the bed might feel safe and didn't give him any nightmares, but it was damn uncomfortable and he never managed to sleep for any longer periods of time. He had tried to sleep in the bed once but when it felt like the walls were turning yellow and started to close in on him so he gave up.

There was a pretty comfortable couch in the sitting room next to the kitchen but it smelled heavily of mold and when he put his head down on it he could hear the insects eating the wood inside of it. The only reason he slept on it was because Wufei used it. It was a lot easier to sleep calmly when he knew that he wasn't alone. That it was Wufei made it better because he didn't make a lot of noise; he didn't feel the need to talk and when he started reading he could sit for hours. Duo never had to worry that he would wake up alone because Wufei was always there. He didn't even have to open his eyes because he could smell his presence. Jasmine, gasoline, steel and Wufei; that's what he smelled like and Duo would recognize it anywhere. It was comforting and Duo loved falling asleep to that smell.

Then Wufei had found that damned chair. Duo couldn't help but glare at the chair of horror. Not only was it yellow, it was also standing too far away for Duo to fall asleep comfortably. Wufei's bed was a lot better than the floor or the termite infected couch. It was soft, it was quiet and it smelled a lot better. _But Wufei was too far away_.

Duo curled up on his side, pulling his knees up against his chest. He wondered if Wufei could come over to him and give him another massage. His back did hurt, but not as much as before. If he had to be honest about it, he had to confess that he kind of just wanted Wufei closer to him and that he wanted to be touched. A massage would be the perfect excuse for that, but at the same time, he didn't want to ask for one.

He made a big show of rubbing his back and a second later, Wufei looked up from his book.

"Is your back hurting again?" He asked with worried eyes.

Duo shrugged, not giving him an answer since it would have been a bit too close to a lie for his taste.

Wufei took of his glasses, placing them on the table together with his book.

"Lay down."Wufei said before he did that calm breathing thing he had done before he started the massage the last time. Duo assumed that it was another one of those honorable traditions that Wufei seemed to collect.

A couple of seconds later, Wufei was done and Duo happily scooted over, making room for his friend on the bed as he lay down.

Wufei's hands landed on his back and Duo felt his brain short-circuit.

Damn, this was so nice, so unbelievably nice. Wufei was rubbing and stroking his back and Duo melted under his touch. Those hands had to be magical; there were no other explanation to why this felt so unbelievably nice. It was like they made a hum start up in his head, a hypnotic hum that was rising and falling like waves on the ocean.

Oh, oh that was nice, really nice. Duo gasped, his claws made soft popping sounds as they extracted without conscious thought into the sweater, making small holes in the fabric. Wufei had moved down beyond the edge of his sweatpants and were rubbing his aching tailbone. He couldn't remember hitting it but it had felt almost bruised lately. Wufei's magical hands moved on, leaving what felt like a trail of liquid muscles and glowing skin.

Duo had never gotten a massage before but they were now his favorite thing in the world. He had believed that massages was all about covering someone with oil and making their spine snap as the person was bent in different positions. If he had known that massages were really all about being touched, he would have bullied someone into doing it years ago.

Duo knew that he was a very touchy feely guy, he always had been. He liked to stand close to people, to touch them and to be touched. That need had been far from fulfilled since he became a gundam pilot.

It was just so damn hard to get a hug out of these people.

Quatre was pretty easy most of the time. You just opened your arms and he would roll his eyes and hug you. Unfortunately, there were only so many times that you could hug a guy before it started to become weird. Heero pulled a gun at him every time he tried (not that it stopped him) and Trowa stood stiffly and waited until he was done. Duo had never managed to get close enough to Wufei to even try to give him a hug.

If Duo had known that all he had to do to get this kind of attention was to have back problems, well, let's just say that he would have complained a hell of a lot more than he had.

He wondered if this was what people described as a Zen mood. His head was just filled with calming waves that washed away all disturbing thoughts.

Especially when Wufei had gotten rid of all the tension in his back and he was just stroking him. Over and over and over again. It made the hum in his head grow in strength and the whole thing was just so niiice. He barely registered that he was curling up around Wufei, far too focused on the feeling of Wufei's hands on his back. It was so nice, _so nice_, so nice.

If it was up to him, he would have stayed there forever.

* * *

"Pull back!" Quatre shouted over the gun shots. The sound made Duo's sensitive ears ring and he was grateful for the metal door they could close behind them, separating them from the pissed off night guards. A well placed bullet destroyed the keypad, effectively locking the door behind them. OZ had been changing their approach lately. They weren't trying to capture them anymore; they were shooting to kill. That much was obvious as the bullets rained against the door. He glanced over at Quatre, making sure that his friend wasn't hurt in any way before the both of them started running through the long corridor in front of them. They were still far from safe and they would have to be quick if they wanted to escape alive out of the military laboratory.

Duo had been really pissed where he had found out that someone from Oz had managed to get their hands on some of the data that he himself had been sent out to destroy that faithful night when he got captured. He had been so sure that he had destroyed it all. That had been his one and only joy when he had been a prisoner. Having to live through that hell, only to have the reason for it to come back was just too much and Duo saw this as a personal insult.

There was no way that he would let them start using that weapon. He was going to level the whole compound to the ground if he had to. He had made sure that he had more than enough explosives with him and he had placed several of them all over the lower floors before they had been spotted. Then their part of the mission had then suddenly gone from placing bombs to distract the night guard while Wufei installed a couple of Heero's costume made viruses into the main computer.

He could hear the sharp sound of gunfire from further down the corridor, followed by a crash as the door was destroyed. Shit, these guys were good.

They were long past the schedule and Wufei was probably ranting up a storm back at their meeting spot. But how was they supposed to know that the guards never made the same rounds twice?

They had attacked during the night so they wouldn't have to worry about the personal that worked in the lab, but it appeared that the night guards were a gang of hard trained motherfuckers _who just would not stop._

The two pilots had been spotted while planting bombs on the lower floors. From there, the hunt had been on. Unfortunately for them, the laboratory was built like a fort, all doors were locked and all windows had bars in front of them. There were only one way out and that was through the fire exit on the third floor. That was where they had gotten in and that was their only hope to get out. It was just too bad that it was across the building.

They ran past small, thankfully empty, padded cells, surgery rooms and endless yellow corridors that were far too familiar for him. The whole place gave Duo the creeps and it was with great pleasure that he had placed his bombs in everything from the underground laboratories to the file rooms.

Duo ripped the door to the stairway open, the sound of Quatre's feet following him closely behind.

He almost flew up the four stairs until they reached the door to freedom and Duo almost shouted in relief when it opened effortlessly.

They were out. The cool night air hit his face and he happily sucked it in as they took the fire escape down and ran towards the far side of the area. Behind them he could hear the muted boom of an underground explosion as the first of his toys went off. Quatre easily jumped the fence and half a second later he was gone in the surrounding forest. Duo paused at the edge of the fence when he noticed a certain lack of swordsmen waiting for them. He looked back at the intimidating building just as another boom went off, making flames rush out through a couple of windows on the first floor. "Shit, where is Wufei?" He whispered desperately.

It all had gone according to plan. Wufei should have been there before them, waiting to tell them if he had been successful or if they would have to stick around to make sure that the whole compound went down into flames.

But Wufei wasn't there.

Duo turned and ran back. He couldn't lose Wufei. He just couldn't. Wufei was like the cool, older brother who didn't always want to play with you and thought you were annoying but loved and helped you anyway. Wufei was his friend and there was no way he was leaving him behind.

The fire exit was still unlocked and he ripped it open and started running up the stair. Wufei must still be in the computer central on the fourth floor with the main computer. Duo made a note to slap Heero over the head for making such complex but slow viruses.

As he opened the door to the fourth floor, the sound of gunfire told him that he was on the right track. He hurried towards it as silently as he could, hoping that no one would spot him before he spotted them. Another one of his timed bombs went off making the whole building tremble.

Shit, this was not good. They had to get out of there before bomb number seven went off since it would most likely take the whole building down...

The sound of gunfire was really close now and Duo stopped to peek around a corner. The narrow corridor in front of him was swimming with guards. They were all heavily armed and it would most likely not take long before they decided to charge right in through the open doorway at the end of the hall. Or at least what was left of it.

Duo bit back a curse, tightening his fingers around his gun. There were no room to maneuver and no place to take cover. If he went in, guns blazing, then it probably wouldn't take long before A: He gets shot in the chest or B: some of the guards that had hunted him before would find their way here and shot him in the back. Neither of the alternatives seemed very tempting.

Duo tried to think. There had to be another way into that room. He had studied the drawings of this place very carefully incase of situations like this. Picturing the blueprint in front of him, he suddenly remembered something.

He turned back, hurrying towards one of the corridors that he had just past. Behind him the gunfire stopped and he could hear the guards arguing loudly over what they should do. Duo hoped that wouldn't reach an agreement too soon, because even if his plan worked, he was going to need some time. He reached the thankfully empty corridor, running through it until he found a large, steel hatch in the middle of the floor

He dropped down on his knees, taking a hold of its handle before pulling upwards. The heavy hatch protested with a broken whine as he forced it open. It had clearly been a while since anyone had been there.

Holding the hatch up, Duo looked down at the shallow tunnel under it. Thick wires and colorful cables were stretched out before him. He realized quickly that he was standing in a crossway as the cables all ran in different directions.

The dark tunnel stretched out in four directions underneath him, each filled with plastic cables. He set his eyes on the thick, orange cable in the middle; the one that he knew was connected to the main computer.

Duo stepped down into the shallow hole, his feet sinking down between the many cables. He held the hatch open above him as he hunched down to peer into one of the dark tunnels. There was not a lot of space between the roof and the cables since it wasn't made for crawling around in, but there should be enough for a teenage boy.

He lowered his arm, letting the hatch slam closed above him, leaving him in total darkness. For a second, total panic struck him as something like claustrophobia rushed over him. In his mind he was once again back in that hospital bed, tied down, alone one the dark as people walked back and forth past the locked door, ignoring his shouts. He swallowed harshly, forcing his mind back to the present. There was no time for insecurities, not when Wufei was in danger.

Realizing that he would never be able to crawl through the cables, he laid down on his back, throwing his braid over his shoulder and tucking it into the edge of his pants. Sometimes he really understood Heero's argument about his hair being a danger to himself and that he really should cut it off for his own safety.

There was not enough room for him to put his knees up as the roof almost scraped against his chest and he had the tip his head to the side to prevent his nose from hitting some kind of sharp metal that was bolted to the roof. Placing his hands against the walls and his feet up against the edge of the metal edge surrounding the hatch, Duo pushed, making himself slide over the cables. He raised his feet again, pushing away. He was sliding pretty far with each push, but it still felt far too slow.

Another explosion went off somewhere far below him.

He did a mental calculation on how far away Wufei was trying to keep track on how far he had gone. The orange cable was a comforting pressure against his spine, despite the metal straps that was holding it down every five meters and scrapped harshly against his back as he pushed his way over it.

The thunder of running feet and the unmistakable sound of bullets told him that him that he was on the right way. He kept pushing, ignoring the way sharp metal edges sliced up his hands and the cold that was working its way through his clothes despite the work out he was putting himself though.

A small slip of light suddenly appeared above him, making him grin. Finally, this was it. He put his hands up, praying that he made the right calculations. Then he pushed hard and that hatch above him opened. Getting up on his knees, Duo peeked around the room.

His eyes instantly landed on his friend. Wufei was sitting behind the huge monster that was the main computer. It was obvious that the guards cared more about killing the intruders then making sure that the computer was unharmed since the metal shell around it was covered with bullet holes.

Wufei had a blank but intense look on his face as he stared down at his gun. It was a look that didn't betray any fear, just steel hard determination and an acceptance of sacrifice.

"Hey Wu." Duo said casually as he put his elbow up on the floor, leaning his head against it. "You want to get out of here or something?" The surprise on Wufei's face was priceless, making Duo grin like a loon.

"Yes, that would be most appreciated." Wufei choked out as he stumbled to his feet and hurried over to him.

Duo held the hatch open so that his friend could climb down. "There is not a lot of room; you need to slide on your back." He said looking down as Wufei maneuvered himself down on top of the cables. Duo felt his breath catch as he noticed the way a dark stain on Wufei's blue shirt was making it stick to his chest and the red smear over his neck. He chose not to mention it. They didn't have time to worry about non-life-threatening injuries anyway.

Wufei was a bit bigger then he was but he managed to push himself forward and Duo quickly closed the hatch and followed him. Together they were sliding through the dark towards safety.

"Are you okay?" Duo asked quietly after a few minutes.

"A bullet graced my neck, nothing more." Wufei released a shaky breath. "I was very lucky." The sound of soles against metal was loud in the tunnel.

"Lucky…yeah." Duo shivered unhappily because luck was not something he trusted. Especially since his luck had been next to non-existing lately.

* * *

Losing friends was something Duo took very serious and knowing how close he had been to losing another one made him uneasy.

Wufei had cleaned up and bandaged the cut on his throat. The sight of that white bandage made Duo feel nauseous. If that flying metal had just been a bit further to the right, Wufei might not have been sitting next to him on the couch; he would have been dead.

Feeling scared, Duo moved a little closer until he was almost sitting on top of Wufei. He just wanted to be close, as if to make sure that his friend wasn't going anywhere.

Wufei blinked tiredly and Duo froze, staring at the other boy, waiting to see what he would do.

"You alright?" Wufei mumbled, his eyes falling closed.

Duo didn't respond he just put his head down on the back of the couch, eyes never leaving Wufei's face. He didn't know for how long he had been doing it, but his fingers were gripping the edge of Wufei's blue tank top as if the other boy would disappear if he let go.

"That was close today." Wufei remarked quietly.

Duo nodded, his face rubbing against the couch as he did so.

"Thank you for getting me out."

Duo hummed softly, unconsciously pulling on Wufei's top. He was painfully aware of just how close he had been to losing another friend. He kept losing the people he cared about. It was not fair! Duo wanted this stupid war to be over so that everyone could just be happy and not have to worry about biological weapons and bullet wounds.

A hand worked its way around him, landing on the back of his neck.

"It's okay, we're safe now." Wufei whispered, softly stroking his neck and shoulders.

Duo hadn't realized just how tensed he was until his muscled melted under Wufei's touch. He slumped forward, forehead landing on Wufei's shoulder.

God, this was nice. So _nice_. There was that humming in his head again, the one that rose and fell like waves. In seconds he was so relaxed, so comfortable that he couldn't even begin to put words to how good it felt. The only word he could find was 'nice' because it was. It was really, really nice; especially when Wufei didn't protest when he shuffled even closer. That was very nice.

Duo's chest leaned against Wufei's arm with his knees tucked up against Wufei's hip. Wufei stroked and stroked and stroked, making Duo want to sit there forever. The hum almost seemed to vibrate through his body, rolling over his tired body. He was so warm and comfortable that he found it to be a miracle that he wasn't already asleep.

It was like if he was lying on a beach and listening to the ocean; a beach that vibrated and smelled like steel, gasoline, lavender and Wufei, a beach that came with free petting, like all good beaches should.

A sudden gasp of pain and the smell of blood woke Duo up from his ocean dream.

He looked at his friend, trying to find the reason for the stained look on his face.

Wufei was looking down and when Duo followed his line of sight, he found his explanation.

His claws were out and they were covered in blood. Wufei's normally white pants were drenched in it, showing off four rips in the texture where Duo had cut straight through it and sliced Wufei's skin open.

Duo stared in panic at his own hands. No-no-no. This was not happening. He didn't dare to look at the other boy, his eyes getting stuck on the damage he had done.

The blood was running down on the couch pillows, creating a dark red stain.

Duo throw himself away from the other boy, horrified over what he had done. The blood was warm and sticky on his fingers, making his hands look like something out of a horror movie. Without a seconds thought, Duo bolted out of the room. He ran as fast as he could, almost flying down the stairs. Hs panicked mind didn't know where to lead his feet. Nowhere was safe.

He just knew that he had to get away, he couldn't stay there, he had to go, go far away. 'Hide!' His instincts screamed, urging him on. He had to hide. Somewhere he couldn't be found.

He ended up in the forest, running through the bushes, jumping over rocks and small springs. His socked feet were sliding through mud and wet leaves but that didn't slow him down. He ran until a large oak came in his way. Instincts rose and his blood stained claws dug into the bark as he started climbing. He climbed and climbed, until he reached a large branch high up in the tree. There he curled up against the trunk, leaning his forehead against it.

Why, god why, did shit like this always happen to him?! Wasn't it enough that he had suffered at the hands of those _BASTARDS, _that they had turned him into this freak of nature! Did his curse really have to go on and hurt the people around him who were just trying to help?!

His claws dug into the rough bark, leaving deep scratches, just like the ones he had left on Wufei's flesh. Duo closed his eyes and cried bitter tears.

The sun rose over the trees, bringing light and warmth to the world. Duo didn't move from his spot. Hour after hour he sat there, ignoring the way his tired body protested.

The day came to its end and the dark started to fall. Duo still did not move. Shadows, wide and deep took over the forest, closing around it like a fist. The full moon that peered down at him, gave him all the light he needed to see. Not that he spent his time watching the scenery as much as just staring blindly ahead.

Duo didn't know what to do. Intelligently he knew that he couldn't stay there forever, but at the same time, he couldn't make himself leave. He couldn't even think about facing Wufei again. Every time his thoughts came close to his friend, the pained look on Wufei's face flashed before his eyes, making the shame grow.

Somewhere in the distance, something took flight, its wings making a soft but powerful sound as it set out to reach the sky. Duo envied it. He wanted to get away, to fly away from all his problems and mistakes. He bit back a hysterical laugh. Yeah, that was just what he needed to become an even bigger freak, wings.

A sharp gush of wind made the leaves rustle and Duo shiver. He ignored it. He deserved all the discomfort he got.

Then something caught his attention. A sound that didn't fit into the surrounding forest. Duo tensed up as he recognized the sound as footsteps. It was coming closer and closer.

"Duo!" He heard Wufei's dull voice call out in a distance. Duo closed his mouth tightly, as if it would betray him.

The smell of steel-gasoline-lavender-Wufei reached him, making something inside of him relax. It only lasted for a second before he remembered just why he was hiding.

"Duo!" Wufei was closer, but too far to the left of him to stumble across his oak. He hoped.

Duo curled up tighter, hoping that his body would somehow become one with the tree.

He didn't want to be found, especially not by Wufei. The swordsman wouldn't kill him, but the shame just might.

The steps came closer and closer, making Duo hold his breath. He didn't dare to look over towards him, too scared that any movement might give him away.

The steps faltered and backtracked before coming closer until they stopped below the tree. Duo closed his eyes in shame, he had been found.

"Duo?" Wufei asked softly, his boots scraping against the roots of the tree.

Duo wanted to whimper and beg for forgiveness but he couldn't get the words past his throat.

There was a long pause where all that could be heard were the sound of leaves dancing in the breeze.

"Are you going to come down?"

A denying noise ripped its way passed his tightly kept lips. God this was so humiliating. He was sitting in a god damned _tree_ like some kind of scared _animal_ after hurting his friend with his fucking _claws_!

A sigh, then Wufei's boots scrapped against the tree.

Duo blinked and glanced down to where the other boy was now climbing up the tree. The branches creaked in protest under the other boy's weight, but didn't break.

With a huff, Wufei came to a stop on the branch diagonally bellow him.

Duo tensed up, waiting to hear what Wufei had to say. He could just imagine the kind of rant he was going to get for this.

But Wufei didn't say anything; he just made himself comfortable, straddling the branch to lean back against the trunk.

Duo nervously scratched a finger over the bark, looking down at the other boy. Wufei pushed his hands into the pockets of his leather motorcycle jacket, looking up at the moon. He had changed out of his destroyed white pants, instead wearing one of Oz's camouflage pants that the boy must have stolen during a mission. His black military boots were lazed tightly all the way to the top. He looked adult, competent and ready for anything.

Duo felt anything but as he shivered, realizing just how cold it had gotten. His socks were damp and covered in mud that had dried into a hard layer during the day. The wind was blowing straight through his sweater and his cotton pants… something that he had been fighting hard to ignore.

The sound of a zipper made him look down.

Wufei had taken his jacket off and was holding it up to him.

Duo hesitated but figured that he most likely was going to hurt Wufei's pride if he didn't accept it. If it was something Wufei had had more than enough of lately, it was to get hurt.

He pulled the jacket on, biting back a relived sigh when the warm leather settled around him. It was a bit big on him and he could duck his head so that his nose ended up under the edge of it.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled into the collar of the jacket.

"It's just a scratch." Wufei muttered dismissively, staring out through the leaves.

"It was not a scratch." Duo hissed. "There was too much blood for that."

Wufei shrugged. "One of them was a bit deeper than the rest but it's not like I need stitches."

Duo squirmed unhappily, breathing deeply through his nose, as it the smell of leather and Wufei was going to make everything better. "It's just so fucking insane." Duo grunted, grabbed a hold of his ears through the bandanna. "I have these fucking things on my head and my sense of smell if going insane, my hearing is all over the place and now I'm scratching people with my god damn claws!" He lashed said claws out against the tree, leaving deep marks all the way through the thick bark.

"I'm not an animal!" Duo screamed into the night.

A soft whisper from the branch bellow, "I know."

Duo felt a slip of calmness work its way through his body at those words. If Wufei, who had seen all his worst sides, didn't think that he was losing his humanity, then maybe...

His thoughts trailed off as he too stared out into the night. The moon cast a pale light all over the dark shapes of the forest, giving it an almost unearthly feeling. A sharp gush of wind rushed over them, making Duo shiver and wrap his arm around his knees. He really should have at least put on some shoes before running away.

Wufei stretched his arms up over his head with a groan. "Come on, I'm cold. Let's go back in."

Duo hesitated as Wufei slowly climbing down feeling stubborn for some reason. He didn't want to come down just because Wufei said so. Squirming restlessly, he watching as Wufei started walking away, becoming one with the shadows.

The forest was cold, dark and lonely around him. Duo' ears twitched under the bandana. He really didn't want to stay there. With a low whining noise he scrambled down the oak, landing in a hunch before he sprinted to catch up to his friend.

Wufei's lips stretched up on one side in something like a smile. Duo smiled back and walked a bit closer to his friend so that their arms brushed against each other. Everything suddenly felt a lot better than it had just a few minutes ago. Wufei wasn't angry and he couldn't smell any blood so it probably hadn't been more than a scratch.

He smiled brighter and skipped a few steps ahead… only to flinch as he stepped on a sharp stone. Of course, things just couldn't go his way for longer than two minutes.

"Allah! Duo! Where are you shoes?!" Wufei exclaimed as he stared in horror down at his feet.

Duo blinked, looking down at the mess that was his once white socks. "In the house."

"Oh for the love of- come on, I'm, carrying you back." Wufei made an impatient motion with his hand as if ordering Duo to climb up on his back.

Duo startled, pulling away. "What? No!"

"You are not walking back in your socks." Wufei stated, catching his wrist in a tight grip.

Duo hissed in protest, trying to pull himself free. He was not a child and he wasn't going to be carried anywhere unless he was dying.

"Get up on my back- and don't hiss at me," Wufei growled

Duo glared, feeling his claws pushing out of the tips of his fingers. Wufei glared right back.

"You owe me," Wufei bit off, eyes demanding surrender.

Duo slumped. "Fine," he muttered, not at all happy that he was going to be carried around like a bag of potatoes.

He climbed up on Wufei's back without protest, making sure that his hands were safely trapped in the sleeves of his sweater. He put his head down on Wufei's shoulder as the other boy started walking. The lavender smell was stronger in his hair and Duo decided that while he didn't particularly like the smell, it fit his friend.

Duo closed his eyes with a smile. "Allah? I think you have been spending too much time with Quatre."

Wufei chuckled, and Duo grinned as the sound echoed up into his ear that was pressed against his friend's shoulder. "Perhaps, but just yesterday I heard him muttering about the injustice of not having any milk for his cereals."

Duo laughed, imagining the blond ranting wildly about the lack of milk with one of Wufei's swords in his hand.

The forest soon gave way for a large, grass covered hill. They had reached the garden. The trees and the bushes all looked like strange creatures in the dark. It felt like they had entered an unknown kingdom of a world long forgotten. Wufei didn't seem to be in a hurry as he calmly walked through the wild garden. The moon was shinning over the pound, reflecting into the water. It made their surrounding seem even more magical and foreign.

"Pretty." Duo mumbled as he looked at the dark mirror of water.

"That it is." Wufei agreed softly. "Remind me to ask Quatre about the history of this house."

"It's kind of a strange place."

"Mmmhm."

Duo lazily looked down at Wufei's marching boots. He wondered what had happened to Wufei's sandals. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen them. It was strange, especially since they used to be such an everyday thing. But he supposed that it was just another one of those things that had to adapt to the war. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the ride, taking deep breath through his nose. The hum in his head was starting up again and didn't stop until he opened his eyes at the sound of wood under Wufei's boots. They had reached the steps up to the front door.

The house was dark and quiet as they entered it, but Duo knew that the rest of the pilots were there as well. He had been carried far enough now, he decided. It was one thing if it was just the two of them; it was something completely different when others could see him. Duo squirmed and protested until Wufei put him down.

He pretended not to see the amused look he was given as he waited for Wufei to started walking. He followed closely behind, walking close enough that they brushed against each other. Duo didn't know why it felt so important to make sure that he was touching Wufei, it just was. They went up into the kitchen and over to the corner where the old, _very_ old washing machine were standing. Over it, they had hung several clothing lines that at the moment were holding up what he recognized to be Wufei's laundry.

Wufei reached up and got a pair of socks down and throw them over to Duo who gratefully caught them. Pulling his old off, he happily took on the new pair, enjoying the softness of them. Wufei just shook his head as he watched him, muttering something in Chinese under his breath. Duo ignored him and kept smiling as he skipped along next to his friend as they started walking up the stair.

"Good night." Wufei said softly as they reached the long corridor leading to their bedrooms.

Duo startled as he watched Wufei walk away and he realized that he couldn't go with him.

He bit back an unhappy whine. Damn, he was acting like a child. He shouldn't have to have someone there 24-7 to hold his hand. He mumbled a quiet 'good night' towards his friend before dragging his feet to his room. He reluctantly opened and closed the door, leaning back against it with his head hanging. For a moment he just looked at Wufei's white socks, as if they had some kind of magical solution for everything.

He slowly lifted his eyes, sweeping them over the dark, unfriendly room. He didn't want to be in there and he pressed himself back against the door, claws making a scratching noise against the wood. Being alone in the forest was nothing compared to being trapped between four walls.

His bed stood in the middle of the room, looking large and intimidating as if it wanted to swallow him. In the dark, the walls took on a pale yellow color and the bed had restrainers that were open and waiting to trap him.

Duo desperately gripped the door handle and wondered if Wufei would let him sleep in his room, only there was nothing to sleep on in there if he didn't want to sleep in the horror chair. He could have slept on the floor or curled up on the foot of the bed, but Wufei would most likely question his sanity even more then before if he asked.

He let out a sad, lonely whimper as he sank down on the floor. He would not be sleeping tonight.

* * *

AN

_Please_ prove me wrong and take a second to review (pretty please?). I have this notion that the more time I put on the plot, the less people like it. So far I have had a lot of proof that I'm right ^^'

Oh! And feel free to share some of your cat stories because I would appreciate the inspiration since I don't have any cats of my own. ^^

(Now for something completely different. The poll will be open for one more day. Isn't life a kick in the crouch or Normal People? Voting in a review does unfortunately not count. Sorry.)

_Milimax -_ Thank you! Yes, Duo makes such a lovely kitten doesn't he? ^^ _Reader in the Corner_ – LOL! Believe me, this is the proof read version. The original is a LOT worse so I believe my beta did the best she could with the grammatical mess she was handed. :) _Flight-Risk_ – lol, glad to hear it. I keep seeing Heero in one of those 'kiss the chef' aprons whenever I think about it.:D _princess cythera_ – Awww, thank you :) Unfortunately for Wufei, no good deed goes unpunished ;). _Cinnamon Selkie_ – I'm very happy that you are enjoying yourself Cinnamon and believe me, I'm going to be putting Wufei through a lot more that won't be in any how-to-be-a-good-friend books. –laughs evilly- _Cristalake_- No Calico, I actually had a Norwegian Forest Cat in mind. Poor Duo XD because as to quote Wikipedia "Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat, long tufts of fur in ears and between toes, and a long bushy tail to protect them against the cold." I feel evil ;)

I just noticed that last weeks review answers didn't show up, sorry about that ^^'

_TenshiNanashi_- Yay, I got favorited :D Oh yes, a lot of things are left unsaid in Normal People. So much lovely drama. _Cinnamon Selkie_ – I'm glad you liked the safehouse because we are sure going to see a lot of it in the future. Yes, it's going to be another one of those fictions were the pilots sit around in a house all day. Ops. _Kira2Maxwell _– Awesome, I hope you won't be disappointed. _kidishcaresh_ – Thank you :) Man, writers block is a pain in the ass. I'm holding my thumbs that it will let you go as soon as possible. _princess cythera_ – Yes, Wufei is doing the best he can. And I'm going to make him pay for it! LOL _Cristalake_ - My god, why am I not surprised that you voted for Normal People ;) _anf600 _– Glad to hear it. We are of course going to have some genetic modification too, because really, what would a Neko fiction be without the purring and the hissing ;) _semievilfiscus_ – Ah, another Normal People. Happy you liked it :) _shogi_ – Cats are pretty cool yes, they really are. And yeah, slowly but surely, Wufei is starting to get a hang of the whole friendship thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_If you want the best seat in the house, you have to remove the cat - unknown_

* * *

The next day when Wufei came back inside from doing his morning exercise, he found a small couch standing next to his new arm chair. He didn't question it; instead he went to take a shower, leaving a satisfied looking Duo lying all over the old dark blue couch. He had no idea how or why Duo had dragged the large monstrosity into his room but if it made Duo happy, who was he to question it? Especially after yesterday's nightmare.

He had spent almost 16 hours walking around in the seemingly endless forest worried out of his mind that something had happened to Duo. He couldn't even ask for help since it would have led to questions about just why Duo had run off in the first place. He had been so relived and tired by the time he finally found him that he didn't have the strength to rant about the foolishness about running blindly into an unknown territory. It might have been just as well. Duo had been miserable enough without being chewed out for scaring him half to death with his disappearing act.

Wufei hurried through his shower, not bothering to wash his hair so that he could return faster. He pulled on a pair of clean white pants, a black tight tank top that made his chest look good and fixed his pony tail. One couldn't look like a total mess in front of an attractive boy, never mind the unlikeliest that said boy would notice.

Duo sat up as he came back in, pulling his legs up underneath himself as he watched him move through the room.

Not knowing what else to do, Wufei picked up his book and sat down in his armchair. He had just flipped his book open when a low, whining sound made him pause.

Duo was looking at him with heartbroken eyes.

"What?" He questioned, placing a finger between the pages.

Duo just shuffled closer to the other side of the couch, leaving a large space empty.

Wufei looked from the couch and over to the other pilot. Duo squirmed under his questioning gaze, looking down to where his hands were gripping the inside of his sleeves tightly.

Wufei didn't want to make Duo distressed, so without a word he got up and walked over to the dark blue couch where he sat down. Since looking at Duo only seemed to make him even more agitated, Wufei turned back to his book.

It was hard to concentrate on the words when the other boy was sitting so close, and it got even harder when Duo started to inch his way closer and closer. He tried his best not to be uncomfortable by the lack of space between them, but his heart still started beating faster as his whole awareness focused on the warm body that was now pressed up against his side. Duo's knees were pushing against his thighs and his upper body was leaning firmly against his arm. He had written off what had happened yesterday as shock from their mission and to end up in the same position again without that excuse was nerve-racking. He swallowed awkwardly and turned his face towards Duo.

Duo froze and gave him one of those wide-eyed stares that seemed to set his whole body on edge, like he was waiting to see what Wufei would do. Wufei had a feeling that whatever happened now would have to be his decision. He could either frown and push Duo away, or he could… not push him away.

Wufei turned back to his book pretending to read. There was a soft sigh before he felt the body against his arm relax. Deciding to follow a sudden inspiration, Wufei pulled his trapped arm away and wrapping it around Duo so that he could stroke his back. The reaction was not what he expected and he startled in surprise when Duo slide down into his lap. His surprise made Duo freeze and stared up at him. Wufei just stared back, unsure if he should protest or not. He was not accustomed to having people all over him... well, at least if it wasn't during sex.

For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other.

Then Wufei forced himself to relax before he started stroking his hand down Duo's back. The frozen stare broke as Duo closed his eyes in pleasure and melted under his touch. Wufei swallowed down a thrilled, bubbling feeling in his chest. He tried not to read too much into it but really, who could blame him for feeling just a little bit of proud over creating a reaction like that.

Duo squirmed, shuffled and turned on top of him until he found a strange but seemingly comfortable position.

The braided boy had his head pillowed against Wufei's right knee, arms hanging down on either side of his legs. Duo's chest was resting on Wufei's lap; hip on the couch while his right leg was curled up underneath him while the left was hanging over the edge of the couch.

Wufei hid his amused smile behind his book as he used his free hand to pet Duo. He didn't even try to pretend that it was a massage because it really wasn't.

Duo purred and purred; a long, vibrating song that never ended.

Wufei felt himself relax as he absently wondered if there was anything as calming as having a purring Duo in your lap. The vibrating sound seemed to send a signal to his brain, telling the rest of his body to become one with the couch pillows.

Unfortunately, only an hour later, Duo left for a "hit and run" mission as he called it leaving Wufei with a cold lap and no wish to finish his book.

He wondered if it was possible to become addicted to purring.

After trying to meditate for over two hours, Wufei gave up and left his room to find some way to entertain himself.

He went down stairs to where Quatre was peeling potatoes for dinner. It was not his idea of a good time but with a shrug, he got an old cupboard door out that were now serving as a cutting board and put it down on the waist-high refrigerator. On Quatre's directions he started chopping the potatoes in to middle sized cubes.

"How's Duo doing?" Quatre ask, eyes never leaving the peeler in his hand.

Wufei shrugged. "Pretty good." He told him. Considering everything Duo had gone through and was still going through, it was a wonder that he was doing as well as he was.

Quatre nodded and put another potato down next to Wufei. "He's not so jumpy anymore."

"Not as much no but…" He trailed off. He couldn't really tell Quatre just why there was still a reason to worry.

"He needs more time." Quatre finished. "It's good that you're getting closer, I think you've helped Duo a lot."

Wufei ducked his head. He didn't really believe that _he_ was the one doing the difference, as it was simply about having someone who knew about Duo's …condition.

Quatre put another potato down next to him. "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Either of you."

Wufei nodded, picking up the root vegetable. "I will." Maybe he had more friends then he first thought.

* * *

When Duo came back from his mission, Wufei soon found that having an attractive boy in his lap wasn't all what it was cracked up to be. Sure it was nice, but that was also the problem. It was a bit too nice.

Duo's hot breath against his neck was making him think thoughts that you really shouldn't have about the boy you were starting to consider to be your closest friend. It didn't help that Duo kept squirming in his lap, rubbing against him as he tried to make himself comfortable. Wufei tried to ignore it, calling himself every kind of fool for being attracted to his friend who was seeking comfort, not giving him a lap dance like his dick though. Then Duo started kneading his inner thigh in time with his vibrating purr. The erection that he had been trying to hold back was now an embarrassing fact.

Wufei stopped his petting, sitting ridged in discomfort. "Um, Duo, could you get off me for a second."

Duo leaned back, leaving his neck cold. "What?" He grumbled, clearly not happy that his petting had been interrupted.

Wufei swallowed awkwardly. "I need to talk to you about something and I can't do it with you in my lap."

With a displeased grunt, Duo gracefully climbed off and Wufei quickly pulled one of the couch pillows into his lap.

Duo just watched him curiously.

Damn, this was going to be awkward to explain. "It's just that I…" he trailed off, uncertain what he should say. "I don't mind having you close; it's just that you get a bit too close."

Duo tilted his head as if unsure what Wufei considered to be too close.

"It's just that… physically; I'm a bit… sensitive to that… closeness."

Now Duo just looked confused.

"Sexually." Wufei blurted out, face burning.

"Oh." Duo blinked. There was a moment of silence. "Oooh!" Understanding obviously hit the braided boy. " I didn't know you were…" Now it was Duo's turn to trail off.

"Yeah, well, it's not really a big deal." Wufei assured him quickly, holding the pillow close. "I'm not coming on to you or anything it's just…" He shrugged helplessly.

"Some things just have a life of their own." Duo continued with a look that spoke of knowledge as he ran a hand over his hidden ears, flattening them even more against his head.

Wufei nodded in relief. "Exactly."

Duo fidgeted with his sleeves, pulling them further down over his hands. "So should I stop bothering you?" He mumbled unhappily.

"No!" Wufei denied loudly, startling Duo. "No." He continued, in a calmer tone. "I don't mind, it's just that sometimes it gets a bit much and I need a bit of personal space to…calm down." He finished with an embarrassed blush.

Duo snickered, glancing down at the pillow in his lap.

Wufei glared. "Oh shut up." He mumbled half heartedly.

* * *

Duo made the discovery, that if he pushed his bed into a corner, he finally felt secure enough in his environment to sleep in the bed instead of under it. He might feel safer under it, but it was far from comfortable.

It helped that he had… borrowed one of Wufei's blue tank tops.

It had been hanging over the back of a chair and Duo had just grabbed it without thought as he passed it. He wasn't planning on keeping it forever, just a little while. The guy had so many of them anyway, he wouldn't miss one.

The point was that it smelled like his friend and that made it a lot easier to sleep because it felt like there was someone else there with him. That it was Wufei's smell only made it better since his brain had started to associate the smell of steel-lavender-gasoline-Wufei with comfort and safety.

Wufei really had been just that lately, a source of comfort and safety. It had been a long time since Duo had the privilege of feeling so completely safe like he did curled up around Wufei.

He had tried not to drape himself all over Wufei after they had had their little talk, since he didn't want to make his friend uncomfortable. But as soon as Wufei started petting him, all those thoughts drowned in a wave of 'nice,' leaving Wufei to fend for himself.

If it was him and some girl was lying all over his lap, he wouldn't have been as honorable as Wufei.

And Wufei had been really cool about it. He never touched him inappropriately or anything like it. He had gotten hard a couple of times, that much he knew. Once or twice, Wufei had asked him to get off for a moment, to let him get away for a while, but most of the times they just ignored it.

Duo couldn't say that he was bothered by this new development; it just seemed so insignificant compared to the rest of the things going on in his life. War, death and cat ears just felt like a hell of a lot more upsetting then the fact that one of his friends found him attractive.

He stretched his back with a groan. Maybe he should get Wufei to give him a massage? That would be nice.

He pushed a hand in under his shirt and started to rub his lower back that had been aching like mad since had had woken up. He froze when his fingers found something that had not been there the day before.

Fear bubbled up in his stomach and in barely contained panic he dragged his hand down his spine, only to encounter the same bump that he had felt a second ago. It was in the very end of the row of bones, no larger than his thumb. It felt hard and ached when he pressed his fingers against it. The obvious explanation to what it was started to surface but Duo pushed it down. The thought was too horrifying to even think about and he pulled his sweater back down.

It was not happening. He refused.

* * *

Wufei once again looked over at the empty couch next to his arm chair. Still no Duo. For some reason, his friend had been avoiding him for days now.

Wufei figure that Duo might be a bit more sensitive about his sexuality then he had first given the impression of, but Duo hadn't given him any indication that he had be uncomfortable around him before he started to flat out avoiding him. Wufei hadn't been prepared for the pain he felt at the loss of Duo's company. He couldn't remember missing anyone but his mother at this level.

Speak of the devil. Wufei felt his heart jump as a shape appeared in the doorway. Soundlessly, Duo snuck into the room but instead of going for the couch, he curled up at the far end of the bed.

Wufei figured that the best plan of action would be to just ignore that anything was wrong but unfortunately, it wasn't in his nature to leave conflicts unresolved. Problems had to be confronted for justice to prosper. "Duo." He said carefully to get his friends attention. "Are you okay?"

Duo didn't respond he just turned his face away.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Wufei asked, hopping that Duo would get over this, what ever _this_ was. He naively hoped that it wasn't about his sexuality because it wasn't much he could do about it and he didn't want to lose his friend when he barely just got him.

Duo didn't answer him. The only indication that he even heard the question was the way his back got even more tensed then before.

Wufei closed the book in his lap. "Duo." He said seriously, putting his glasses down on top of the small table to his left. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Duo shook his head, lips pressed tightly together.

"Duo I ju-"

"I'm growing a fucking _tail_ okay! " Duo growled angrily, glaring at him trough his ruffled bangs.

Wufei blinked in undisguised surprise because really, that was not what one expected anyone to say. Ever. "May I?" He asked when he managed to scrape his brain together in a big enough pile for it to work again. He carefully gesticulated towards Duo's sweater.

Duo shook his head violently, gripping the edge of the gray monstrous he was wearing, holding it down like he was expecting Wufei to rip it off of him.

"Please?" He asked as he got out off his chair and moved slowly towards his friend, palms open and nonthreatening.

Duo was tense like a bow but he let Wufei sit down beside him on the bed. Wufei took a hold of the edge of the sweater, looking at his friend in question. Reluctantly, Duo let go and turned over on his side with his back towards him.

Wufei lifted the shirt up and carefully pulled down the elastic edge of Duo's pants. There was a sharp lump at the end of his tail bone. The skin looked red and irritated, not to mention stained. It was like something was trying to push its way out off his body.

Wufei leaned sideways, trying to catch Duo's eye. "Does it hurt?"

Duo swallowed thickly, looking down to where his fingers were playing with the edge of his sleeves. "A little."

Wufei stroke a finger along the edge of the lump. "We should take you to Sally."

Duo twisted, scrambling away from him with an angry hiss.

Wufei frowned just as angrily. "Don't hiss at me." He really hated that sound.

Duo flinched, moving further away until he was sitting with his back pressed up against the corner.

"She won't tell anyone if we tell her not to. We need to have your back x-rayed, who knows what this is or what kind of complications could come out off it." Wufei said in a calm and hopefully convincing voice.

Duo violently shook his head, pressing back against the wall.

"I'm not a doctor, I don't know what to do if something goes wrong, we-"

Wufei barely had time to blink before Duo had jumped off the bed and bolted out the door.

For a second he just sat there before he sighed and went to get his jacket, his boots and Duo's boots. He had a feeling that he knew where Duo had run off to.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After spending almost an hour trying to talk Duo down from what Wufei was now starting to think of as "Duo's tree" he finally managed to convince his friend that he had to go see the doctor.

Duo was reluctant but didn't protest when Wufei drove him towards the Rebellion's hide out.

They arrived at the campsite a few hours later and were escorted by several angry looking guards over to a large tent that, if it had been made in a brighter color, would have fitted right in at a circus.

As they walked in, Sally looked up from the files spread out over the military green fold-up table.

"So." The woman said when it became obvious that no one was about to break the silence. "Is someone going to tell me why you're here?"

Duo shuffled his feet, hanging his head like a disobedient child.

Wufei sighed; he supposed that he was going to have to handle this. "Duo had a run in with a couple of genetic obsessed scientists."

Sally was tapping her foot impatiently against the plastic floor. "And?"

Wufei nudged Duo with his elbow, something that only earned him a low angry hiss. "Don't hiss at me." Wufei bit off.

With a glare, Duo pulled the bandanna from his head.

Sally blinked and stared with her mouth hanging slightly open. There was a long, shocked silence.

Wufei looked at the doctor, getting impatient at the lack of action. "Well? Aren't you going to do some kind of examination?"

"What?" She asked faintly, still staring stupidly at the top of Duo's head.

"I'm mostly worried about his spine, do you have any way to take a x-ray picture out here?"

Sally blinked. "X-ray?"

"For god's sake woman!" Wufei exploded. "Pull yourself together and do something productive!"

"Don't you take that tone with me you brat!"

Duo started to inch his way towards the tent's opening but Wufei grabbed a hold of his wrist, stopping him. "Then do your job."

Sally gave him an insulted glare before motioning Duo over to the examination table.

When Duo didn't move, Wufei used the grip he had around his wrist to slowly lead his friend there. It took some coaxing but after a while they got Duo up on the examination table.

"Shirt off."

Duo froze at the doctor's order, gripping the edge of his sweatshirt.

Sally gave him an impatient look as she pulled on a pair of plastic gloves.

"It's okay." Wufei tried to convince him, stroking Duo's hands until they relaxed and let go. Slowly he started lifting the back of the shirt. Duo tensed up but didn't stop him as he pulled the shirt over his head. The wide scars on his back looked rough and horrible in the light and Wufei forced himself not to look, Duo was self-conscious enough already.

"And the pants." Sally said calmly

Duo flinched. "No."

"Believe me kiddo, you have nothing that I haven't seen before."

"No."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Please spare me the teenage drama and just drop your pants."

Duo looked absolutely terrified and gripped Wufei's arm like his life was depending on it.

"How about keeping the underwear on and you can pull the edge down a bit so you can see his spine." Wufei suggested tightly. He really wasn't prepared to have Duo sitting around naked.

Sally waved her hand in agreement and turned on the light hanging over the table.

Slowly Duo stripped down to his underwear and climbed up on the bench to lie down on his stomach. Sally started her examination with the ears, spending a long time looking into them with a small flashlight and checking his hearing. From there she went on to his spine and worked her way down.

"Well, that was unexpected." Sally said faintly when the bump was revealed.

Duo looked unbelievably embarrassed with his boxers pulled down halfway down his ass.

Sally felt along his spine. "Tell me if it hurt somewhere."

Duo hissed as Sally's fingers reached his lower back. "There."

The doctor made a thoughtful sound. "I'm going to have to x-ray it."

Wufei listed absently as Sally pulled the machine over as he was far too occupied with trying to calm down his friend who looked ready to bolt at any second. He kept petting him until Sally ordered him to step back so that she could take the pictures and when she was done, Wufei just about flew back to Duo's side.

"Well." Sally mumbled as she opened up her laptop and zoomed in on the x-ray picture, ghosting her finger over the screen. "It's not cancer which would have been my guess, but really, I don't know why I'm surprised over this after seeing the ears."

"So it really is a tail?" Duo's stained voice asked in dread as he curled up on the edge of the examination table.

"It appears so. It's really fascinating but it appears like you are growing new bones."

Duo looked far from fascinated; in fact, he looked more like he was trying not to throw up.

Wufei cleared his throat. "So, what can you do to help?"

Sally hummed absently, eyes stuck on the screen. "A documentation on the bones progress, and possibly one for the ears as well…" She trailed off with a slightly blissful look on her face, probably imagining all the research she was going to do.

"Can't you just cut them off?" Duo questioned impatiently with a thug to one of the big ears.

Sally gave him a look in sympathy. "I could, but I think that would be very bad for your ear-canals. The ears protects them and the skin around them is already were sensitive." She explained carefully.

Duo sighed, looking down at the floor as he crossed his arms tightly. "Well just plug them up or something would you? The extreme hearing thing is freaking me out."

Sally paused, giving Wufei a helpless look before turning to the braided boy. "Duo, I'm not going to make you deaf."

Duo huffed angrily as he jumped off the table. "I didn't ask you to, I just want these-" He pulled at the ears harshly. "-to stop bothering me."

Sally slowly shook her head, giving him a sober look. "You obviously haven't noticed, but your ears, your human ears, are not working anymore. Your eardrums have been completely removed."

Duo gapped before quickly lifting his hands to push the pointy ears down fully, obviously realizing for the first time just how muffled all the sound around him became. "Fuck." He said weakly as he hid his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry."

"The tail then?" He asked, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.

Sally hesitated before shaking her head again. "No, we don't know how that will affect the tail's process. I have never seen anything like this and until it stops growing, I don't dare to tamper with it."

Duo closed his eyes, standing very still.

Wufei stepped forward, putting a hand on Duo's tense arm. "So what can you do?"

"Not much." She confessed sadly. "I can do more tests to keep track on his body's changes and give him some painkillers, anything else is way out of my expertise."

Wufei nodded solemnly, turning back to Duo who was standing far too still next to him. His body was stiff and tensed, like he was holding himself together by will alone. Wufei just hoped, as he looked down on his clenched fists, that Duo wouldn't cut his own palms open with his claws, he knew from personal experience how much that hurt.

"Duo" He said softly, stroking a hand down his arm. "Let's get you dressed and then we can go home."

Duo gave him a sharp nod, eyes hidden behind his thick bangs.

Wufei lifted the big sweatshirt over Duo's head, helping him to push his heavy arms through the sleeves. Duo didn't say a word as he was dressed like a doll, led back to the car and strapped in. Wufei gave the other boy a worried look as he curled up against the car door, staring blindly out through the window. The braided boy looked like his whole world was ending and Wufei had no idea how to help.

Feeling angry and helpless, Wufei tried to concentrate on the road. The naïve thought that Duo would somehow get more comfortable with the changes was growing more and more far fetched. Wufei had suggested that Duo should leave his ears out for once and let them take a break from being pushed down in an unnatural angle. The panic in Duo's eyes had shot that idea down flat and Wufei had very reluctant tied the bandanna over his friend's head, forcing the fluffy ears down.

He had thought that a medical examination would somehow show Duo the reality of the changes so that he could come to grips with them. That part of the plan had definitively blown up in his face since Duo now hated the changes more than ever. Sally had been no help at all aside from a few unmarked pill jars. So basically, all they could do was to wait and see what would happen, something that really went against Duo's nature. Wufei tightened his grip on the steering wheel, silently cursing the world and his own helplessness.

Duo's shoulders were shaking in silent sobs next to him, making it feel like someone was stabbing him though the heart.

All the while, the stuffed lion hanging from the rearview mirror were smiling down on them.

Without a word, Wufei reached out and ripped the lion down, throwing it into the backseat. There was nothing to smile about in a situation like this.

* * *

A few days past where Duo barely left his side at all. The braided boy spent most of his time asleep on the couch in Wufei's room, only leaving it for bathroom breaks, food and nightfall.

One morning, before the sun was even up, Wufei woke up as his bed dipped. He startled awake and rolled over on his back, staring in awe at the two glowing eyes hovering over him in the dark. "Duo?" He questioned hopefully.

"It's getting bigger." Duo whispered in a horrified voice.

At first, Wufei had no idea what his friend was talking about, (his dick had a few ideas, but were steadily ignored) but then he realized, of course, the tail. Turning over on his side, he fumbled for the lamp on his nightstand. The pale light came on, revealing his squirming friend. Duo had his arms wrapped tightly over his naked chest, sweatpants pulled high up his waist. Wufei rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Let me take a look."

Duo hesitated but Wufei just throw the duvet off and got to his feet, gesticulating for Duo to lie down on the bed.

Giving Duo a second, Wufei crossed the room to flip on the ceiling lights and find a pair of pants, hopping that it would distract him from the thoughts of having a beautiful, half-naked boy in his bed. Taking a deep breath, Wufei decided to spend some time meditating later that day so that he would have a chance to push all the bad thoughts that was becoming far too frequent, back into the shadows of his mind. Lusting after your straight friend was such a stupid, pointless thing to do.

He walked back to his bed where Duo was now lying stiffly on his stomach and Wufei could clearly see the outline of the bump though the sweatpants.

Careful not to startle his friend, Wufei sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Push your pants down a bit for me would you?" Duo did as he asked and Wufei couldn't help but look as he was treated with a glimpse of Duo's nice, perky looking ass. Damn, he was turning in to such a perv. He forced his attention to the tail and… it really was a tail now, a small thin one that looked like it was something that should be attached to a small puppy. It was roughly the length of his palm and as he watched, the tip of the tail curved and swung like a restless snake. It was covered in sparse but soft looking fur that by the look of it was going to end up in the same color as the ears, a slightly lighter color then the dark chestnut braid.

It was kind of cute.

He wisely decided not to say that out loud since Duo would most likely no appreciate it. In fact, he would probably give him a matching set of scratches.

Wufei softly petted the exposed back, telling himself that he wasn't being a pervert, he just wanted to make Duo relax. "Where does it hurt?"

Duo sighed, relaxing against the mattress. "The whole thing aches but it's the bottom of it that hurts."

Wufei carefully stroke his fingers along the edge of the tail, wanting to touch it but knowing that Duo wouldn't like it. "Does this hurt?"

"No." Was the mumbled responds.

There was nothing sexual about it, but Wufei couldn't help the thrill he got from stroking his hands down Duo's naked back. The wide scar was still just as ugly and horrifying as the last time he saw it, but the skin around it was soft and smooth. Putting just a bit of pressure on his hands, he dragged his hands down the exposed skin and around the tail, over and over again. The tensed muscles relaxed almost instantly and a couple of seconds later, a low purr started up. The thin tail flopped lazily from side to side, brushing against his forearms as he passed it. Wufei smiled, it actually was really cute. For every stroke, Duo's breathing slowed down and his eyes started dropping.

Wufei just kept stroking until he was sure that Duo was asleep. Smiling softly as he looked down on the other boy, ignoring the way his chest was tightening as he did so. He pulled the edge of the duvet closer and was just about to put it over his friend when he suddenly decided to be a bit… naughty.

Careful not to wake Duo up, Wufei wrapped his fingers around the tail. The soft, thin hair was soft like silk against his skin. Biting back an insane urge to giggle, he spun the tiny tail around his finger.

"Awww." He whispered quietly before pulling the duvet over his friend, tucking him in. Even the most honorable man had to indulge himself sometimes.

* * *

AN

Ah, well that was it for now. Hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter on Friday if I get it back from my beta by then. Pleeease take a second to tell be what you thought about the chapter, it would make me very happy -puppy eyes-

Sorry if the review responses are horribly misspelled and grammatically incorrect but it's midnight, I just got back from work and I'm dead tired.

**Shadows** – Always glad to fill out a night watch :) I'm also glad you liked it and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the boys adventures. **Cristalake** – Don't worry, Wufei will take care of him :) My trick with cats is to let them come to me. To hold out a hand, let them sniff on me and then, if they are feeling generous, I might get to pet them Cats are nothing if not control freaks. **Toni (anf600)** – I am very happy to hear that you liked it to the point of reading it again. –hugs- I don't think Duo will be satisfied with sitting outside Wufei's door. He rather like sitting on top of him more ;) **Loki's katsmeow** – LOL! I thought it was pretty funny that you should mention your cat's habit of stealing your chair when I was just sending this to my beta (considering the title of the chapter). I'm glad you like the story so far :) **Hourglasssand** – Thank you for telling me, it does make me happy to hear that you are enjoying it. Hopefully you won't have to wait more then a week for the next one. **librarycat9** – I'm really happy that you like this story, especially since you were unfamiliar with the canon. And to answer your question, yes, the experiments will continue to affect Duo all through the fiction –evil laughter- and the second answer about the purring would be a no :) **Ah Hael** – Well, I've already answered you, didn't I? Oh well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter :) **princess cythera** – LOL! I enjoyed your cat stories. For an animal that it so independent, they really are attention whores, aren't they? Hopefully I will be able to keep Duo in believable cat behavior. I'll do my best. **Altyerre** – Cinnamon is spreading the word is she? :) Very happy to have you along, I hope you will enjoy yourself. And to answer your question, Duo will be a long haired cat -evil grin- So Wufei have a lot of clothing problems to look forward to. If you want to know what type of cat I'm crossing him with I'll let you google the Norwegian Forest Cat :) **Cinnamon Selkie** – You have to have the hugs. There is no way around it, you have to have the hugs. And, yeah, what can one expect after a couple of weeks in the same house. I'm a bit scared to think of what kind of things Heero might have picked up…ops, going to have to fix that costume. Thanks for letting me know. **Lis** - Why thank you :) **moni** – Thank you! :) Oh the rest of the pilots will find out soon enough. I'm just going to let Wufei keep Duo to himself for a while. :D **bethany_shiver** - Glad to hear it. Don't worry, I will be updating steadily every Friday until A: I get stuck or B: I manage to lose my beta (I have a habit of doing that) But hopefully I will be able to finish this smoothly. **kidishcaresh** -shuffles feet- sorry miss Kidish. ... But it is still funny that the story that I spent the least amount of time on (A dragon in the backseat) is the fiction that I have the most reviews on if you go by chapters. Not to mention, that the chapters where nothing happens and I basically just babble non stop are the chapters that people appreciate the most. I have come to the conclusion... that people are strange. **Kira2Maxwell** – Haven't had the chance to check out the song since I don't have any sound on my computer -_-' Oh, and the chair will get what's coming for it, don't you worry. **Unearthlysoul** – Awww, thank you. Glad you liked it and don't you worry, I'm writing as fast as I can ^.^ I have the day off tomorrow so I will most likely be able to finish the chapter I'm working on then. –holds thumbs-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs." - **Desmond Morris**

Or

Look what the cat dragged in.

* * *

The mission had been bloody; far too bloody for Wufei's state of mind.

People had died at his hand today. Not that it was anything out of the ordinary, but the way it had been done had felt more personal. A war was mostly fought by weapons. Gundams, bombs and guns were used everyday. Wufei did his katas and trained his body to fight, but he had rarely had to kill anyone with his bare hands. Guns were impersonal. They made you forget that it was real, live people that you were aiming at.

Today had been different; there had been no Gundam, no flying bullets, no swords, just his hands around the neck of a defenseless woman and the horrible sound of her neck breaking. As he had searched through her pockets for keys, he encountered pictures of her wedding.

He had made someone a widower, just like someone had made him one when they killed Meilan. The realization did not sit well with him.

In a war you became jaded and cold towards all the suffering around you until you just did as you were told without thought. Then the smallest things would set you off. Stealing a car with a baby car seat, infiltrating a school where the teacher brings up your favorite poet, finding family photos.

It reminded you that the corpse at your feet used to have a life before they meet you.

There had to be a different way.

Wufei leaned heavily against the sink in front of him. The white porcelain was stained with blood. None of it was his. He looked up, meeting his own haunted eyes in the mirror. He looked tired. No he looked defeated.

He remembered his old values and pacifist dreams, the ones he had back on L5 before the war had taken over him. The world had seemed like a better place back then. He had known very little of the suffering that people were put through, of all the suffering that people put their fellow man through for their own selfish means. He hoped that Relena would one day be able to bring peace to the world. He hoped that what he was doing would contribute in some way.

Some days he didn't know why he was still fighting.

In the beginning, he had fought for Nataku, then when most of his anger and sorrow had cooled down, he fought for the injustice he saw everywhere. The injustice that stole Heero and Trowa's childhood, the injustice that killed Quatre's father and sister and the shameful injustice that had plagued Duo's life. But still… could more violence really stop all the violence?

Wufei stared at himself in the mirror. Was he making a difference or was he just another killer? He looked down at the sink and the red drops running towards the dark drain. The sight of all that blood was making him feel sick. He put the tap on full blast, making the old water pipes grumble under the pressure. Ducking his head; Wufei filled his cupped hands with water and washed his face. Roughly he rubbed his skin as if the motion would wash away his sins as well. He washed until his skin felt raw and the tips of his fingers were starting to resemble old raisins.

Wufei dried himself off on a towel, thankful that there was no blood on it when he was done. The mirror was ignored as he moved away from it. He stepped out of the bathroom, walking across the hallway and into his bedroom. He stopped in the middle of the room, arms hanging weakly. It was too early to go to sleep but he did not have the strength to do anything. With bare feet he turned and stepping back out into the corridor. Quatre's bedrooms door was open and he could hear the blond moving around in there, probably more than willing to listen if he felt like talking. But Wufei did not feel like talking, far from it in fact. Quietly he hurried past the doorway as he moved on towards the stairs. He was going to walk down into the kitchen but changed his mind as he instead started walking up the stairs towards the fourth floor. The floorboards were much worse up here and they protested loudly as he walked over it. A large ballroom that once must have been amazingly beautiful could be found directly in front of the stair, gaping emptily at him.

He didn't spare the faded extravagance a glance. His destination lay further away. Moving past countless of doors, leading to countless of empty rooms, Wufei finally reached a pair of tall, double doors. They were painted in a light blue color that was slowly falling off and as Wufei opened them, more of it did. The paint fell to the floor like dried leaf.

He stepped into the large room on the other side, moving in just past the doors, leaving them open. This was where he had been heading and he took a step to the side, leaned back against the wall as he took in the large room.

Wufei stared sadly at the long rows of books that covered the walls of the very impressive library, a library that unfortunately did not have a ceiling. More or less the entire roof on the north side had caved in, leaving the library unprotected.

Row after row of priceless books were therefore beyond saving after years of rain, snow and vermin.

But still, simply being in a library again brought peace to Wufei's soul. In here he could remember what it was like to be happy, carefree and totally devoted to something that didn't concern blood and suffering.

He had been so much happier as a scholar. Being a terrorist didn't even come close to what he wanted with his life. There was so much anger, everywhere, consuming him, erasing every other thought then revenge, honor and justice. It was a heavy weight to carry and it had been so much worse while Duo was gone when all he had was the anger and the thirst for revenge.

Justice hadn't been a part of his agenda those six months when all he wanted was to slit the throats of the bastards who had killed his fellow pilot. But then Duo came back from the dead, as if he really as the god of death and such travail things as mortality couldn't control him in any way or form. With Duo back, his old wish for justice had come crawling back, demanding attention and retribution for being shoved aside. But Wufei didn't know how to achieve justice. He never had. But trying was sometimes the only thing that stopped him from turning that distasteful gun towards himself.

While in this room, he remembered that there were other ways to accomplish peace. Ways that didn't have anything to do with a fire-throwing gundams.

He wanted to sit down over by the large, sturdy-looking desk standing over by the far side of the wall. There he would think, plan and write. The pen was mightier than the sword. He believed it, even now after all that he had lived through.

He sank down on the floor, overlooking the room. The floor creaked in protest but then everything was quiet. Wufei closed his eyes, banishing all thoughts, ignoring the heavy air that probably was filled with unhealthy mold particles as he relaxed. Centering himself he slowly fell into his meditation, letting his mind rest from all the haunting thoughts that plagued him.

He became aware again as something brushed against his leg. He found no reason to open his eyes as a bony cheek rubbed against his thigh. A low grumbling sound started up, making a small smile curl Wufei's lips. Duo was fussing around, obviously trying to get comfortable. He finally settled in a sprawl over Wufei's lap. His head resting on Wufei's thigh, nose pushed up against his hip. Arms wrapped loosely around his waist and chest resting over his bent leg. Wufei just knew that he was going to cramp sooner or later if Duo's weight didn't stop the blood flow in his leg first. But for now he would not object. He just let Duo's rumbling purr sooth him before falling back into his meditation. Surrounded by written words, with the person he was starting to consider to be his best friend, Wufei felt at home for the first time in far too long.

* * *

A few hours later, both feeling a lot more relaxed, they returned down stairs and stepped right into reality.

Another mission was already being planned and the two of them barely had time to sit down before Quatre started going through the plan and filling them in on what Heero had managed to find so far during his infiltration.

A while later, Wufei glanced over at Duo who was sitting on the chair next to him, one leg raised up against his chest, the other curled up underneath him. The other boy was shifting around, flickering his head around as if he was following something with his eyes. It was obvious that he was not listening to the report Quatre was giving them. Quatre and Trowa were also looking at the god of death, but with a lot more annoyance. Duo, who seemed to realize that people was observing him, blushed and whispered an apology under his breath as he turned back to a frowning Quatre.

The blond went on, describing how Heero had infiltrated one of Oz's boot camps and how Trowa as going to join him in a few days while the rest of them were going to assist them when the time came.

Wufei discretely glanced over at Duo again, or more exactly, the bandana he had wrapped over his head. It was moving, not a lot, but if you expected it you could see the slight twitching. Duo was too tensed, like he was preparing himself to jump out of the chair.

Wufei turned his attention back to Quatre as the other boy started pointing out their targets on the large map on the table,

A soft buzzing and a violent, full body twitch from Duo explained the situation to him. There was a fly in the room. A big black fly that was circling around the large room and had now found its way over to their kitchen table where their meeting was taking place. Duo was obviously trying to ignore it but low buzzing must have sounded like a gundam engine to Duo because every time it passed the table, he would shudder, like if holding himself back was both physically and psychologically demanding.

"Is something wrong, Duo?" Quatre asked,

Duo gave him one of those wide eyes looks where it appeared like his whole body had frozen. There were no answer and after a few tense seconds, Quatre went back to his report.

Oz were so far not planning anything big according what Heero had found out, but that didn't mean anything. In a few days, a higher officer was going to visit the camp and that would be their chance to get some vital information.

The fly landed on the table, in the middle of the map that Quatre had spread out to show the camp where Heero was stationed.

Duo was not going to be able to hold back much longer, that much was clear. His fingers were twitching in his lap, claws out, eyes fixed on the fly that were calmly cleaning its wings in the middle of the boot camp. The braided boy slowly leaned forward, head dipping as if he was trying to sneak up on his prey.

_SMACK!_

Three pilots blinked and looked over at the hand that had been slapped down hard on the table.

"Excuse me." Wufei mumbled as he got up to wash away what was left of the fly from his palm.

Duo was looking much more relaxed when he sat back down; in fact he even appeared to be listening to Quatre now. Feeling pleased, Wufei leaned back in his chair.

* * *

It turned out that the fly was only the beginning

When Wufei walked into his bedroom later that day and encountered an embarrassed-looking Duo who had been chasing a dust bunny around in the sunlight, he decided that it was time to step in.

Since Duo would most likely scratch his eyes out if he tied a piece of paper at the end of a string and waved it around, Wufei decided to make something a bit more advanced.

He used a ping pong ball as a model with a small but powerful engine inside it. On the outside he added rubber tracks all around it that would, if all went as planned, give the ball the ability to move in all directions.

"I'm not an animal and I do not chase balls." Duo grumbled when Wufei presented his invention a few days later.

Wufei calmly placed the ball down on the lawn before turning on the remote control.

"Probably for the best, you wouldn't be able to catch it anyway." He pushed the small joystick forward, making the ball start rolling

Duo bared his teeth, glaring at him. "Fuck you, don't you dare use some kind of backwards psychology on me."

Wufei didn't say anything, he just steered the ball in a tight ring around himself, pleased to see that the rubber tracks seemed to be working according to plans.

"I'm not going to chase it." Duo growled, arms crossed stubbornly while his eyes followed the ball as it started to speed up, racing through the un-cut grass. It hit the stone edge of the garden path with a soft tinkling sound as it bouncing off it. The ball flew in a bow through the air. Duo pounded.

Wufei effortlessly made the toy escape out off his reach. The ball zigzagged through the grass and Duo followed closely behind with a wild, excited look burning in his eyes.

Wufei took a closer look on Duo's movements as his friend hunted. It was something clearly feline about the way Duo would throw himself forward, landing on his hands and feet as he tried to trap the small ball, only to get up again as it escaped out of his reach.

Wufei made the toy turn sharply and he watched in amazement as Duo twisted in the air to change direction. Hands and feet were used equally to give him an extra push as he followed his pray.

After several laps over the lawn, Wufei decided to see how Duo would handle a rough terrain and drove the ball into one of the large bushes. Duo didn't hesitate for a second before diving right in. Wufei blindly steered the ball around, hopping that it wouldn't get stuck somewhere.

The shaking leaves were the only way to tell where Duo was as the large bush hid the boy fully. An angry growl rose from within it as it shook back and forth. Deciding to spare his friend, Wufei pushed the ball straight forward, unsure just where it would come out. It wasn't long before the ball appeared in about the same place where it had gone in. Like large jungle cat, Duo launched himself out off the bush, landing gracefully on all four, trapping the ball between his hands. The ball buzzed angrily as it was restrained.

"Ha! I caught it!" Duo raised the ball in victory, grinning like a loon.

"Well done." Wufei praised, trying not to laugh at his friends ruffled appearance or the leaves stuck in his hair.

"Let's do it again." Duo hunched down to put the ball down in the grass. "It was fun. I bet I can catch it faster this time."

Wufei smiled, feeling pleased with himself.

* * *

Four hours later, Wufei was feeling less then pleased with himself. In fact, this had to be one of the most stupid ideas he had ever had.

"Caught it!" Duo called out in triumph.

"Great." Wufei muttered without enthusiasm, arms falling down limply along his sides.

"Again!" Duo announced happily, dropping the ball down as he got into position, looking every bit the feline he was becoming"

Wufei rubbed a hand over his face as he wondered if Duo had this much energy before the experiment or if it was something new.

It wasn't just the energy; Duo really had become a lot more limber lately, especially since Wufei was pretty sure that it wasn't humanly possible to bend like Duo was doing at the moment. His chin was brushing the ground, one hand stretched forward while the other rested in height with his waist. Duo had gotten rid of his shoes and his bare toes were now pressed against the ground, heels in the air, ready to push his body forward. His small tail was flickering back and forth in wide curling motions under his shirt. His spine was held vertical with the ground, low enough for his chest to touch the grass, knees pointing straight ahead as he started intensely at the motionless ball.

Wufei sighed. "It's kind of late, maybe we should go inside." He walked over to pick up the rubber toy that now was covered in mud and bite marks. Why, or how Duo had managed to catch the ball with his mouth was something that he was not going to question.

He faltered when desperate hands gripped his lose pants. Duo's sad eyes looked up at him; ears that for once were free of the bandanna were hanging heavily. "Just once more, please Wu?" He asked, rubbing his head against Wufei's knee.

Wufei was tired, hungry and his thumbs hurt.

Duo butted his head against his hand. "Please?"

Wufei recognized a battle he couldn't win when he saw one. "Fine." He muttered, starting up the remote control again. Duo let out an almost chirping sound and hugged Wufei around his hip. Wufei couldn't help but blush as Duo rubbed his face against his stomach, arms wrapped tightly against his ass. "Yeah, okay, enough." He pushed at Duo's arms in embarrassment. "Here we go." The ball raced past them, heading towards the pound. Duo released him in a flash, and then the chase was on again.

Wufei sighed, his thumbs dreaming of the heating bag with rice that he had in his room. He really should have installed an auto pilot.

* * *

An hour later, Wufei finally got to return inside.

"That was fun; we can play again tomorrow, right?" Duo asked happily, still holding on to the ball.

Wufei throw his damp socks into the washing machine. "Yeah sure." He muttered as he used his sore thumbs to take a clean pair down from the clothing line. He had gone though a lot of socks lately and he constantly had to wash them. Not looking where he was going and slipping into the swan pond didn't help. But since it had given him the excuse to stop, he didn't really mind. He listened absently as Duo babbled on and on about the chase like he hadn't been right there.

"Ewwww!" The horrified scream made Wufei jump and turned to Duo who appeared to be trying to clean his tongue with his hands. "What?"

Duo gave him a torture look. "I ate a fly."

Wufei couldn't help but snort in amusement.

"It's not funny!" Duo exclaimed angrily, stumping his foot against the rutting floor. "I caught it, chewed it and swallowed it before I realized what I was doing."

"I really should get started with dinner then." Wufei aid easily, earning himself a glare and a low hiss.

* * *

The next day was a slow, calm one where there were no missions and nothing to do. Trowa was leaving to join Heero on their undercover mission and there were nothing for the rest of them to do until they were called upon.

Duo walked aimlessly though the house, dragging his feet. He absently opened the door at the end of the corridor that was stretched out parallel to the one with their bedrooms. On the other side, he found a mostly empty room, with several large windows. They called it the piano room since it contained what was left of a grand piano. One of the legs had given out and the instrument was now leaning down on the floor, looking like an injured animal.

The sun was shining in trough the window, leaving large sun spots all over the floor.

Duo walked over the dusty floor, his bare foot landing in the sun. The warmth caught his attention at once and he hunched down, putting his hand flat on the floor to feel it.

With a smile, he got down on all four, deciding that this was where he was going to spend his afternoon. Curling up on his side, facing the windows, Duo closed his eyes. God that felt nice. Even through his baggy clothes, the heat rolled over him. He pulled the bandana off and pushed his hands free from his sleeves, letting them feel the sunshine. His body seemed to hum in pleasure as the warmth relaxed it. All he needed now was someone petting him and it would be perfect.

Duo flexed his ears, taking in all the sounds around him, trying to find a specific sound. Because why couldn't it be perfect? There was no reason for it not to be, he just had to find that missing piece.

He got up and fastened his bandana once more. The piano room was located on the third floor so the first stop was Wufei's bedroom. But as he turned into the long hallway where their bedrooms were lined up, Duo didn't walk over to the door, not feeling any need to investigate any closer. The door was closed and Wufei only closed it when he wasn't in it. On a more instinctive level, the breath he took through his nose told him that there was no lavender-gasoline-steel-Wufei on the other side.

Coming to a stop, Duo concentrated his hearing on trying to find his friend. There was the sound of soft thumps against the floor from Trowa's room. God knows what that guy was up to, but whatever it was, it smelled like rutting eggs. Duo wrinkled his nose and started walking down the stairs. He came to a stop again in the kitchen, ears flexing under the bandana. No sound.

He continued down to the bottom floor, listened, but no sound. Grumbling, Duo headed for the front door. Wufei was hopefully working on his motorcycle or doing his katas outside. He really didn't feel like going all the way up to the fourth floor to find him.

The sun was warm and comfortable against his skin as he stepped outside, reminding him just why he was running around like this. He listened carefully but heard nothing. This was the problem with having quiet friends.

"Wufei!" He called out, getting no responds. He grumbled in annoyance. Fourth floor it was.

He was just about to pass the second floor when the distant sound of Wufei's chuckle reached him.

He walked through the kitchen, the room with the couches and in to the room beyond it.

Over at the far side of it, Quatre and Wufei were sitting across each other at an elegant table with a chess game between them.

Duo faltered at the sight of the blond. He was so used to having Wufei's undivided attention that he couldn't deny the undeniable resentment he felt when someone else came before him. He held back, letting his claws press themselves through his sleeves as he walked over to his friends. He brushed against Wufei with his arm and shoulder, butting him with his chin. Wufei took his eyes off the chess board, giving him a brief smile. "Just a second, Quatre has almost beaten me."

Duo nodded, brushing against Wufei's arm again, just to make sure that his friend smelled right. It wasn't like when Duo had been lying in his lap all day, but it was going to have to do for now.

He ignored the strange look Quatre was giving him as he turned away, pretending to explore the dusty room.

It didn't take long before Duo was squirming restlessly and started glancing over at the table every ten seconds. He wanted to force Wufei's attention back to him, crawl up in his lap and make sure that Wufei was only paying attention to him.

Instead he roamed around the room, brushing against dusty furniture, leaving small traces of his own sent behind. It wasn't as nice as being touched, but it was nice enough to keep himself occupied.

Luckily, Quatre soon announced his victory. Wufei was smiling and congratulating Quatre in a voice that spoke of earlier defeats.

Duo didn't hesitate for a second, instead he attacked, grabbing a hold of Wufei's arm before dragging him along, up the stairs and over to the piano room. The sun spots had not moved too much and he happily dropped down on one of them. Wufei stumbled down on his knees next to him, his wrist still trapped in Duo's hand.

"Pet." Duo demanded, stretching his arms up over his head as he rolled over on his stomach.

Wufei let out a startled laugh. "Yes master." He said with a teasing grin before he reached out to drag a hand down Duo's back. The vibrating hum in his head started up instantly and he relaxed in a boneless heap on the floor. Stroke, stroke, stroke, over and over again. Hypnotic, calming and oh so nice. Duo sighed happily and rolled over on his side around Wufei, letting the sun heat his back. Closing his eyes he let the waves and the smell of his friend wash over him. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he glanced up with his eyes barely open. Wufei was smiling contently, eyes resting somewhere far away.

The sight made a soft smile grace his face as well and he shuffled closer, curling up tightly around the other boy. He was warm and comfortable, what more could one ask for? Duo resisted an insane urge to lick the bare toes that were sticking out from underneath Wufei's thigh.

Wufei looked a lot more relaxed and a lot less intimidating without shoes or socks and Duo found himself deciding that he was going to add some more socks to his growing collection.

* * *

Wufei had been surprised when Duo didn't show up for breakfast the next day. Then when he didn't show up in his room all morning, he moved on to being worried and decided to try to find him.

Duo had turned into a creature of habit lately so he shouldn't be hard to find. If he wasn't in Wufei's bedroom, he was ether in his own room, in the room next to the kitchen, his tree or, if it was early in the afternoon, the piano room.

Wufei just hoped that he wasn't in the tree. He didn't really feel like taking a hike through the forest at the moment.

Deciding to start with the closest option, Wufei followed the corridor over to Duo's bedroom and knocked polity on the door. There was no answer. He tried again, putting a bit more force behind his knocks this time. "Duo? I'm coming in now." He said as he opened the door and stepped in, knowing that just because Duo didn't answer, didn't mean that he wasn't in there.

He didn't get far as he bare foot stepped on something soft and furry. Wufei grimaced when he looked down and realized just what he had stepped on. A mouse, lying on its side with its neck in an un-natural angle lay sprawled on the floor. He bent down to pick it up by the tail.

"NO!"

Wufei startled at the shout, heart hammering like crazy as he looked around the room. There, in the shadows on top of the high closet in the far corner, Duo was perched on his hands and feet, looking down at him like a mountain lion waiting to strike. "It's mine." He hissed.

Wufei slowly straightened back up, taking a step away from the dead mouse.

Duo looked away, fretting on the spot. Wufei could hear the sound of his claws scratching against the wood. Duo rose slightly on his hunches, before sitting back down, the small tail moving restlessly behind him.

"I- I know it's a dead mouse, but I just can't- It's mine. I caught it, I earned it. It's _mine_." The last was delivered with a low growl.

Wufei nodded like all this was perfectly normal. "Alright. So what do you want to do with it?"

Duo looked confused; his hands were stumping against the top of the closet like a restless horse.

"I- I don't know." He confessed

Wufei really didn't want to encourage this type of thing, but really, what else could he do? Especially since he had been the one to create the remote controlled ball that had most likely trained Duo to be able to catch the mouse.

Wufei poked the dead rodent with his big toe. "Well, normally, one hunts to feed. There is not a lot of meat on it but we could probably find something more in the fridge for a stew or something."

The look on Duo's face kept shifted from the first reaction –disgust, closely followed by interest. Jumping down from the wardrobe like he weighed less then air, Duo shuffled over with his eyes stuck on the dead mouse.

"It might have some disease or something." Duo looked so hopeful at the aspect of actually getting something out of his catch that Wufei didn't have the heart to agree with him. It was obvious that Duo's new instincts were crashing with his human intelligence and it was hard for him to find a middle ground. So if Wufei was going to end up throwing up all night for the off chance that Duo might feel better, then he was going to do it… God, he was such a sucker for pretty boys.

"Well I'm willing to take my chances if you are." He said honestly.

Duo looked at him with wide, happy eyes. "Really?"

"Sure." Wufei couldn't help but smile. "Bring your catch and we'll take care of it."

They walked down into the kitchen and Wufei got a cutting board out, putting it on the table where Duo then carefully placed the dead mouse on its back.

Wufei got the sharpest knife he could find and started cut the mouse's guts open. He felt Duo's claw crowned fingers pressed against his biceps as his friend watched him over his shoulder as he carefully emptied, decapitated and skinned the small animal. He had been right, there were not a lot of meat on the mouse and he went to the fridge in search of something to fill their meal with. He found a frost covered steak that had been lying in there god knows how long. The refrigerator was mostly empty but Wufei managed to find a few carrots that were going a bit soft, one can with crushed tomatoes and one with mushrooms soon found its way to the table. Duo was fretting, passing between watching over Wufei's shoulder to staring at the mouse meat. "Peel the carrots would you." Wufei said and pushed the vegetables into his friend's hands.

Duo blinked. "Oh, yeah sure." He got moving while Wufei concentrated on the rest. The meat, both kinds, were fried, and then boiled with the rest of the stew. In the end, it actually started to look like something edible.

Wufei set the table for two and hoped for the rest of the pilot's sake that they would stay away for a while.

When the stew was done, they sat down to eat. Wufei tried very hard not to think about what he was eating; Duo on the other hand was chewing happily, looking very pleased.

They didn't speak all through the meal and they were just as silent as they washed up afterwards.

Duo paused as he dried and put the last fork back into the wooden box on the shell. "Thanks." He mumbled over his shoulder, playing with the edge of the long sweater that you so rarely saw him without now days. Wufei just nodded, happy that he could help, even if it was by eating rodents.

* * *

After dinner, Duo followed his friend up to his bedroom where Wufei made himself comfortable on the couch with a boring looking book in his hand.

Duo was in an exceptionally good mood as he sat down next to him. Wufei had been so nice to him in a way that he hadn't even been aware that the other boy could be. He was so happy and so grateful that Wufei was there for him. It was worth more than he could say and he wanted Wufei to know. The vibrating hum inside of him was loud as he rubbed his head against Wufei's chest. He felt Wufei's quiet chuckle and pressed his face up under Wufei's chin. He took a deep breath of the comforting smell. It was such a nice smell and Duo took a quick taste. Wufei had really helped him through a lot and he really wanted to show how much he appreciated it. He delivered lick after lick, stretching up to reach properly. Every stroke was delivered with the greatest care and made the hum in his head grow even louder and he closed his eyes in pleasure as he worked. It wasn't until something got stuck between his teeth that Duo realized that he was licking Wufei's hair. He flinched back, scrambling away from his friend. Wufei didn't look angry, in fact he looked more amused then anything else. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

Duo blushed, pushing back against the corner of the couch. "S- sorry."

Wufei just made a dismissive noise and turned back to his book.

Duo fretted for a few minutes later until he had gotten over the worst of his embarrassment. Slowly he crawled back to Wufei's side and let himself be petted until he fell asleep against his friend's shoulder.

It had been a good day.

* * *

A/N

That was it for now, I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will hopefully be up next Friday if I get it back from my beta by then.

Lulu – Damn, I hate the "are you human" test. I feel honored by your devotion to review. Thank you for taking the time. The whining and the puppy dog eyes are all Duo's own influences. I always thought of him as a person with curtin dog qualities. About the ears and the tail, yes, there is a thought behind it but it's not going to show up until a later. Pet your food loving cat from me and give him some popcorn, I bet he likes those.

Loki's Katsmeow – Tails really are far too much fun to play with. Duo better follow your cat's example and just get used to it because I can see a lot of tail petting in the future.

Chibs – You are so right. There are far too few Duo-Wufei stories going around. One of these days I'm going to make a recommendation list to all of them so you can at least find them. And don't worry, I'm not about to stop any time soon :)

Cristalake – Oh I bet you thought the naughtiest things… because that's what I did. I wonder if that's a good or a bad thing. If nothing else, it's entertaining. Everything has a dirty meaning if you want there to be. Being a perv is fun!

Shadows – Fantastic, another night duty concurred. I hope I managed to catch this one too. More fluff will come. Like anyone expected anything else from one of my stories ^^'

Kidishcaresh – You wouldn't believe how much "research" I did when I started this story. I visit a lot of old women with cats at work and some days all I could think about was their ears and what kind Duo would have. Now that Duo's tail started growing the poor cats tails are in focus.

librarycat9 – Sometimes I can't decide if I feel more sorry for Duo or Wufei… probably Wufei because I plan on making his life a lot harder. Pun intended ;)

Altyerre – Oh I know I'm evil and I barely just begun *rubs hands*. Wufei is still working on the friendship thing and oh how awkward I'm going to make the sexual tension. I 3 awkward. I kind of made Sally useless on purpose. I was getting sick of having her solve everything just because she's a doctor. As most people know, a lot of doctors can't solve shit.

Cinnamon Selkie – lol, yes the tail really was inevitable. I thought about having Duo reacting just a little bit badly but I just couldn't make it work. The thought of Duo putting any energy on anything beside his own situation just felt bizarre. Personally I think Wufei is the one who's handling the whole gay thing like it was a big deal. Because when you get down to it, it really isn't.

Semievilfiscus - Lol, take it as a compliment, lesbians rarely jumps people so the girl must be something special. As far as I know it's the bisexuals who has a habit of randomly trying to get some lip action XD Personally I think lusting after someone straight must be the worst thing that could happen. Imagine if you fell head over heels in love with the perfect guy… and that he's gay. You can look at him, be his friend but you know that he will _never_ be interested in you. Now that's torture. I actually feel sorry for Wufei for putting him though it.

Kira2Maxwell – Yeah I hate having no sound but I'm going to hand my computer over to my boyfriend with a "Fix it!" tomorrow and hope for the best. The kitten and the dragon are going to keep dancing around each other for a while, but what a lovely awkward dance it will be :D And come one, can you really blame Wufei for molesting the tail? I would have been giving a new level to bad touching if I was in his place :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worth while?" Death thought about it. "Cats," he said eventually, "Cats are nice." - Terry Pratchett, Sourcery_

* * *

Wufei secured his gun in the holster on his leg, glancing over at his partner as he did so. Duo was calmly picking stones away from the underside of his boots with a long claw. He looked up at him, as if sensing that Wufei was observing him. He shook his head and Duo went back to his picking.

Wufei had been partnered more with Duo in the last couple of months then the entire war before that. He suspected that the other three pilots had agreed to let him be the one to back up Duo on his missions. They most likely thought that Duo was about to have a mental breakdown at any second. He didn't blame them. If he hadn't known what was going on with Duo he would most likely have thought that he was losing his mind. He had tried to talk about letting the rest of the team in on the new development by Duo had refused stubbornly. So the result was that Wufei was chosen to be Duo's unofficial babysitter.

Not that he minded. Duo had a way of making even the most boring surveillance mission fun and exciting

They were at the moment perched up in a tree, looking down at the dirt road bellow them. It should be boring but Duo kept things interesting.

"Hopefully they'll do something stupid so that we can blow up their trucks." Duo said, grinning evilly at the thought.

"Personally I'm hoping to escape out of this a bit more discreetly." Wufei said and made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend's teeth, because he was pretty sure that they had not been that sharp looking just a few days ago.

Duo snorted as he gracefully got up on his feet and took a hold of a breach above his head, pulling himself up to swing back and forth, looking like a playful monkey. "Discrete is boring, explosions are fun."

Wufei just gave him a look to show just how little he agreed with him, something that made Duo grin even wider, showing off his pointy teeth.

Wufei turned his eyes back to the road, but his thoughts stayed with Duo. His friend was changing much faster lately. His movements resembled those of a cat more and more and the tail that Duo had been hiding to the point of paranoia had grown a lot in just the last week.

It you didn't know it was there, you probably wouldn't notice the way the large sweatshirt was bulging out slightly at strange places but the tail was actually long enough to wrap halfway around his waist. Duo's shirt was pulled up from the way he was holding on to the branch and Wufei could see how the tip of the tail had been pushed down into the waistline of his pants to trap it there. He wondered how much longer Duo was going to be able to hide the tail, especially since the fur on it was growing longer and the whole thing was starting to resemble a ruffled feather duster.

His thoughts came to a stop as Duo landed soundlessly next to him. "Here they come." His friend said with an exited grin.

Wufei listened carefully and after a few seconds he heard the distant sound of a vehicle.

A large military truck could soon been seen at the end of the road, coming closer in high speed.

"It's driving too fast, we need a new plan." Wufei rushed out. "We could shot one of the tires, they must have a spare."

"No time." Duo laughed as the truck closed in on their hiding spot.

"Duo, don't-" Was all the protest Wufei had time to deliver before Duo leaped out of the tree, barely managing to hang on to the side view mirror and the door handle before ripping the door open.

The fight that followed was short and the truck skipped slightly as it drove over its former driver.

Wufei climbed down the tree and proceeded to drag the Oz soldier into the forest. It wouldn't do to leave corpses lying around, attracting attention.

Wufei sighed as he dropped the dead man onto the forest floor and started to remove his clothes. Maybe he should have a talk with Duo about senseless killing, but then he remembered that Quatre had tried that before. Duo's responds had been that a dead enemy was an enemy that couldn't come back and shot him in the back. Wufei figured that he would never be able to understand Duo's relationship with death.

Since he was the taller one, he was the one who ended up in the uniform while Duo hid in the sparse space behind the driver seat.

Wufei sighed helplessly as he started the truck. This mission really was for someone more gifted in stealth and infiltration, two areas that Wufei was far from successful in. He was more then a little afraid that he would mess up and take Duo down with him, but at the same time, he didn't want Duo to go in alone.

His friend was known to take the roll as "the god of death" a bit too seriously sometimes and would take outrageous risks when his life was the only one on the line. Wufei really didn't want Duo to be tempted to do something stupid and get himself killed; even if it was by risking his own ass.

A few minutes later, the truck reached the check in point. There was a near identical truck standing in front of them, also waiting to be let through. Wufei nervously drummed his fingers against the top of the steering wheel, wishing that they could just get the whole thing over with.

Then the gate rolled to the side, letting the first truck through. Taking a deep breath, Wufei slowly drove over to the check point.

"Papers." The bored looking guard demanded as he stepped up to his rolled down window. Wufei wordlessly handed over the stack of forms, praying that he had the right ones.

The guard dutifully glanced at the paperwork before handing them back. "Go to building F2, they have been waiting for you."

Wufei nodded and mumbled a 'thanks' before driving through the opening gate.

"Shit, OZ is so fucking stupid that they deserve to be blown up." Duo mumbled from his hiding spot behind the seat.

"Not stupid, arrogant." Wufei corrected as he drove past several armed soldiers marching past the truck. "They have grown so big, and so powerful that they think they are invincible. "

"The bigger they are the harder they fall." Duo said tightly in undisguised hate.

Wufei grunted, hopping he was right and that they would someday be able to beat the beast that was the Organization of the Zodiac.

Wufei slowly drove the truck over to the right gate and backed into the docking.

Then they just walked away as the personal moved over to the back of the truck and started to unpack the crates. No one questioned where they were going or what Duo, who was dressed as a civilian was doing in a restricted area. It was almost too easy and Wufei was starting to agree that OZ deserved everything they got for hiring such idiots. Especially when they walked right into the main building where the guard on duty was reading a news paper and didn't even glance up when they walked right past him.

Well inside, Duo got to work and placed his darling bombs in all the vital areas and set the primitive looking timers on thirty minutes.

Mission successful, they quickly escaped by crawling into the back of a leaving military truck. It really was too easy.

They curled up behind a pile of tied up metal pipes and pulled a large, green tarpaulin over themselves. Duo quickly made himself comfortable by curling up more or less on top of Wufei, demanding to be petted. As they were driven out from the base, Wufei decided that this was one of the better ways to end a mission. Duo was warm in his lap and the purring was making all his built up tension disappear.

Unfortunately, they had their first mishap barely half an hour later as the truck suddenly came to a stop. There were no surrounding traffic and all that could be heard was birds singing in a distance.

"They must have alerted the driver." He whispered to Duo who nodded shortly against his shoulder before carefully climbing off him.

Duo signaled that their diver were walking around the truck and had now reached the back hatch. Wufei nodded as he got his feet under him.

Duo put finger over his mouth, telling him to lay low. Wufei nodded again and made sure that his gun was ready before hiding behind the pipes.

In the corner of his eye he saw Duo climb up on a couple of crates, disappearing into the dark.

A sharp, metallic snap was all the warning he got before the back of the truck was ripped open, flooding the space with unforgiving sunlight. In a murky reflection on a plastic warning sight nailed to one of the crates he saw a drawn gun.

Wufei held his breath when the truck swayed slightly as their driver climbed up.

"Come out! I know you're in there you fucking terrorist bastard!"

Wufei didn't make a sound and neither did Duo.

The driver waited a few seconds before slowly starting to walk further in. The man's shallow, nervous breathing was loud in the small space and Wufei made himself ready for attack as he heard the man swallow thickly.

Wufei planned to lean out and point his gun at the OZ soldier and tell him to drop his gun. The nervous man would most likely not protest.

He never got the chance because in the next second there were a crash and a heavy thump as something fell to the ground.

"Got him." Duo announced, his voice sounding loud in the silence around them.

Wufei put his gun back and got to his feet.

The driver was a skinny man in his early twenties whose face seemed to have gotten stuck in a horrified mask. His eyes were empty and a puddle of blood was slowly forming under his head.

"So what do we do now?" Duo asked as he dropped the metal pipe to the floor.

Wufei forced his eyes away from the dead man. "They will be looking for the truck as soon as he don't report in so we should probably leave it somewhere out of sight."

Duo nodded and jumped out the back, stretching his back like they were taking a break during a road trip.

"Check if the keys are in the car or if I have to search his pockets." He called out, waiting as Duo skipped away.

"No keys!" Duo informed him a few seconds later.

Wufei grimaced as he hunched down to search through the dead man's pockets. He found them on his first try and quickly snatched them up and left the back of the truck.

"Move over, I'm driving." He told Duo as he opened the driver side door.

Duo pouted but scooted over to let Wufei sit down. Wufei quickly adjusted the seat before starting up the truck. Duo reminded him of a happy child on a field trip as he searched through the glove compartment, fiddled with the radio and expressed his delight when he found a stash of porn under the seat.

Wufei frowned in disgust at the sight of the big breasted blond on the cover of the magazine that now had Duo's undivided attention. He turned back to the matter at hand, knowing that they were running out of time. It wouldn't take long before OZ started searching the surrounding and the first place they would search was all vehicles that had left before the bomb went off.

Not daring to stay on the main road in case of road blocks he turned right onto a smaller road that led them over fields and through forests. It was also in the general direction of where they had left their gundams.

They just needed a new way of transportation because a big military truck had a way of attraction attention.

"Hey, there's a car over there." Duo pointed ahead of them where as small farm house in the edge of the forest appeared. "We can hide the truck in the barn."

Wufei nodded. "Good idea. You check the surrounding and I'll take the barn." He slowed down to a stop at the edge of the small yard.

"And Duo."He called out just as his friend jumped out.

"Yeah?"

"Try not to kill anyone would you?"

Duo gave him a strange look. "Sure."

Luckily for everyone, the place was empty and Duo easily picked the lock on the car and got it running while Wufei concentrated on hiding the truck. It was a tight fit with all the junk stored in the barn but he managed to drive it in there and close the door behind it. He just wished that they could have gotten rid of the body first and not left it to be found by some poor civilian.

They drove for about half an hour before they ran into the next mishap.

"Not good." Duo said slowly, just seconds before the small vehicle twitched and stopped. Wufei barely took the time to try to start it again, he know it wouldn't work. As suspected, it didn't.

"Fuck." Duo swore in annoyance. "I see a small road over there, let's push it in there."

Wufei nodded and pushed the door open. Together they pushed the car onto the small forest road, far enough to not be seen from the road but not much more. They didn't have any time to waste. They went back to the road and started running

"I really wish that we could just call the guys and say, 'hey, we need a ride.'" Duo grumbled as he ran.

Wufei grunted in agreement.

It really was too bad that they had decided to have radio silence on all missions where they didn't have access to their Gundam's communication system. OZ was getting better at picking up transmissions and they didn't dare to lead them to them. It was enough that Quatre had almost gotten them all killed when he called their last safehouse during an undercover mission. So if they weren't sitting in their Gundam, they had no way to contact the others.

They were on their own.

After hours of running and hiding in bushes at the smallest sound of cars or helicopters, they finally found an old hunting cabin located deep in the forest. It obviously had no electric and no running water. Joy.

"I think that we have gotten a bit spoiled when it comes to safe houses." Duo remarked as he turned in a circle, taking in the small run down cabin.

Wufei grunted as he took his boots off and dropped them to the floor, making dust and god know what else fly. "This place is a dump and so is our safe house."

Duo snorted. "I'm from L2; the fact that there is a window makes this a near palace."

Wufei didn't comment as he walked over to the kitchen area, opening the closest kitchen-cabin door. "Well, at least there's food. " He said lifting out a small, unmarked steal can. He turned it over, searching for some kind of label or expiration date, but there was none. "The question is what's in them." He eyed shelve after shelve filled with square cans in different sizes. "I'm starving, let's find out." Duo said happily as he jumped up to sit on the kitchen table. Wufei took a hold of the can, opening it with the small metal hoop. "Urgh! Fuck, that's disgusting." Wufei gagged as a revolting smell rose from the open can.

"What is it?" Duo wondered curiously from his seat on the small kitchen table.

"Tuna." Wufei responded, pushing the revolting mess away.

"What's tuna? Can you eat it?" Duo asked curiously as he tried to see over his shoulder.

"No, or at least no sane person would." Wufei replied and got another can down, praying for something eatable. It revealed to be more tuna. "What the hell, there is something wrong with the owner of this place." He complained and turned back to Duo- who was licking the bottom of the can. Wufei watched him in horrified silence.

The braided boy looked up. "There's more?" He asked hopefully.

With a wrinkled nose, Wufei handed the next can over, watching in disgusted awe as Duo started eating straight out of the can. The slurping sound made Wufei's stomach roll in unease.

"Aooow!" Duo whined suddenly bringing a hand up to his mouth.

"What?"

"A cuuut m' tuuung."

Wufei sighed and took the half eaten can out of his hand. "Then wait until I have put it on a plate." He said ignoring Duo's pained whining. He got a relatively clean plate out and tipped the massacred fish up on it. It looked absolutely revolting and Wufei lost all feeling of hunger from the smell alone.

Duo was still whining pathetically and Wufei sighed. "Stick your tongue out and let me take a look."

Duo obediently stuck your tongue out for inspection. Wufei leaned down to take a closer look at the wound. It was bleeding slightly but didn't look deep. "You'll be fine; you just eat your… food." The plate was pushed over to the suddenly happy Duo who snatched the plate off the table

Wufei cut himself off from asking if Duo wanted a fork as he watched his fellow pilot lap the fish down. He shook his head in disbelief and turned back to the cabinets. One of those cans had to contain something eatable.

They didn't. Fifteen cans and one very full Duo later, Wufei gave up.

* * *

About an hour later, Duo suddenly sat up from where he had been sprawling all over the bed. "There's a car coming." Duo informed him, ears standing turned towards the road. Wufei blinked his way out of his meditation but couldn't hear anything. Not that he questioned it as they quickly started packing up their few belongings.

Barely half a minute later they had easily jumped out the window and were hiding safely in the forest before the lone car had even reached the cabin.

They stayed hidden for about two hours just to be sure before they returned. "We're probably safe for a while." Duo said as he sniffed around the room as if he was tracking the visitors' way through the cabin.

"OZ?" He questioned as he put his bag down.

"Probably, I smell guns." Duo turned in a circle. "They didn't search the place very well." He walked back to the door, sniffing it carefully. "One of them stayed outside to take a smoke while the other walked in but didn't touch anything. It was a good thing that you aired the place out or they might have smelled the fish."

Wufei nodded as if that had been the reason the get rid of the revolting smell in the first place. "I suggest that we stay the night and then try to find transportation tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Duo replied happily as he skipped over to the kitchen to get himself some more tuna.

Wufei decided to do his meditation outside.

* * *

As the night started to fall, another problem revealed itself. There was only one bed and Wufei told himself that it was no big deal. It wasn't very wide, but it wasn't like ether of them took up much space.

He decided to just bite the bullet and made himself ready for bed. He settled for just taking off the pants, leaving him somewhat dressed. T-shirt and underwear was as far as he was prepared to go when the situation was guaranteed to be embarrassing for him.

He lifted the surprisingly clean blankets and climbed in. He shuffled over until his side hit the wall, leaving more than half the bed free for its next guest.

Duo, dressed only in his boxers, shifted from one foot to the other before climbing in and curling up right next to him on the bed

Wufei, who had moved as far in as he could, suddenly found himself with no room to maneuver as Duo was pressed up against him. He had for some reason believed that Duo would want space between them. Stupid really, he had no idea how he had reasoned. "Move over a bit would you? I can only sleep on my stomach."

Duo shuffled a bit to the side, letting Wufei roll over. Barely a second later, Duo had crawled back and pillowed his head against his shoulder blade. Wufei had a hard time believing that Duo could sleep comfortably like that but didn't question it. A sharp gush of wind made the old cabin creek and Duo twitched, gripping the back of Wufei's t-shirt.

"You okay?" Wufei asked quietly into the dark when his friend stayed tense. He felt Duo nod against his shoulder. "Everything is fine, go to sleep." He mumbled, lifting his hand to run his fingers through Duo's bangs. It didn't take long before a low purr started up, luring him to sleep.

* * *

Wufei woke up from a dream where Heero had parked Wing on his back because, as he explained with a glare when Wufei protested, it was an asset for the mission. A rumbling purr was at first all he could hear as he forced air into his lunges despite the weight pushing him down into the mattress.

Duo was lying on top of his back, face tucked into the back of his neck. Wufei was pretty sure that he was drooling.

"Duo." He grumbled tightly. "Get off."

"Noooo." Duo moaned pulling his legs up so that his entire body weight rested against Wufei's back.

Wufei gasped, putting his fist down on the mattress and pushing away, forcing his body to roll over.

That didn't go according as planned as Duo twisted with the roll, pushing himself in close and wrapped himself around his body. Wufei now had a sleep warmed boy nestled up between his legs.

And he was getting hard. Fantastic.

"Duo, the personal space thing we were talking about…" He said tightly.

Duo grunted in acknowledgment as he reluctantly dragged his body off of him. Wufei shivered as Duo's naked thigh were dragged over his crouch.

"Thanks." he muttered, rolling out of the bed, heading towards the door as if going to the outhouse.

The rickety old door barely stayed up when he closed it behind him and Wufei bizarrely found himself missing the safe house. At least the doors could be closed and there were bathrooms inside of the house.

There was an old bench standing outside the house that swayed as Wufei sat down on it and leaned forward to rest his head in his hands.

This was so fucked up.

His cock was throbbing, calling out for his attention but Wufei refused to listen.

He didn't want to be attracted to Duo, he really didn't. Because attraction combined with friendship had a way of leading to things that should not even be thought about. Wufei's life was complicated enough as it was, he didn't want to add one sided love with a dead end to the whole mess.

After spending a few minutes telling himself to calm down and think reasonably, he decided that it was safe to return.

Well, inside he found Duo curled up on his side under the cover, lying in the exact spot that Wufei had occupied before.

He thought for a second. It was still pretty early, even for him, but not too early to go through his katas. Oh, who was he kidding, he wasn't going anywhere.

Climbing in next to Duo, he laid down and closed his eyes. Half a second later, the bed dipped as Duo rolled over and curled up against Wufei's side, his head up on his shoulder blade and with his warm breath heating him through his t-shirt.

A low, content purr started up and within seconds, Wufei was asleep.

* * *

Wufei didn't know what had woken him up this time but unlike the last time, there were no weight pressing down on him from behind. He lifted himself up on his elbows, searching for his companion. He found him on the other side of the dim cabin, sitting on the backrest of a chair with his feet up on the arm rests, staring out the window. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just had a nightmare." Duo laughed a bit hysterically. "Then I woke up and realized that my nightmare was in fact my reality."

Wufei sat up at the side of the bed, pushing his hair in behind his ear as he observed the lone figure over by the window.

"They had a window up in the recovery room where they took me after they drilled my head open." Duo's voice sounded haunted, almost dead. "It was on the tenth floor but I didn't care, I was going to leave through that window, dead or alive, it didn't matter, I was not going to live like the thing they were turning me into."

Wufei put his feet down on the cold floor and slowly got up. He didn't move closer, afraid that Duo would bolt if he felt cornered.

"Then one of the nurses forgot to put the restraining back on one of my arms. He probably thought that I was too drugged to do anything." Duo turned his head towards him. The shadows made his face look like a horror mask from the way he was grinning with his sharp teeth bared. "I wasn't, I managed to get out of the rest of the restrainers and broke the window with the drip holder. I almost managed to jump before they caught me."

Wufei closed his eyes, for the first time grateful to the monsters that had imprisoned Duo. Slowly he started to inch his way closer to his friend, wanting nothing more than to comfort him. He faltered when he a noticed dark smear on the back of Duo's boxers, it looked unmistakably like blood.

"You're hurt." Wufei stepped forward, startling Duo who flinched. "Let me look." He said, trying not to sound demanding.

Duo hesitated, then he put his feet on the seat of the chair, sitting down in a hunch with his back towards Wufei.

He instantly noticed what was wrong when he pulled the cloth down. A huge chunk of fur was missing from the bottom of the tail and from the way the skin was bleeding, it looked like it had been ripped off.

"What happened?" He questioned quietly, hovering a hand over the bloody tail.

"I want it gone." Duo mumbled darkly. "It hurts and the hair makes my back itch."

Wufei reached out and slowly stroke his hand down Duo's back, hopping it would relax him. "Why don't you just let it be for a while without forcing it in under your clothes. I don't think it will hurt as much then."

Duo shook his head. "I don't want anyone to see it." He confessed quietly, his hand reaching back to take a tight grip around the tail.

Wufei took a step to the side so that was standing in front of the chair, letting Duo lean against him as he discreetly pried Duo's fingers away from the already abused tail. "Well, it's just you and me here, right?"

Duo nodded against his chest as he wrapped his arms around him in a death grip.

"Maybe you can just take a little break; we don't have to go back to the others just get." It was totally irresponsible to take a vacation in the middle of a war but Duo obviously needed a day or two to just relax.

"We don't?" Duo clearly didn't believe him but was, by the sound of it, not going to call him on it.

"We might as well lay low for a while to make sure that OZ has moved on."

He tried not to think about their lack of food, or more exactly, their only source of food. Wufei really did not like tuna, but if that's what it took to make Duo happy, he was just going to have to do it. Damn, he was such a sucker for pretty boys in distress.

"Come on, let's put a bandage on this and go back to bed." He said softly and led Duo away from the window.

* * *

"Look!"

Wufei's eyes snapped open at the shout, only to go even bigger as he let out a very unmanly shriek when he came face to face with a very dead rat that was lying next to him on the pillow.

He snapped his eyes over to Duo who was just about dancing on the spot in excitement. "I caught it! Look how big it is, isn't it great?!

Wufei just stared.

"It tried to run and it was really, really fast and it kept trying to escape into holes and stuff but I wouldn't let it and then it tried to run into this pipe over by the road but I got my hand in and pulled it out and it was trying to get free and I lost my grip because it was all covered in this thick slime-"

'That would explain the smell.' Wufei thought as he kept watching his friend illustrate his hunt with waves, jumps and sound effects.

"-and then it started running towards the house, probably trying to find a hole or something and I knew I just had to catch it before it got there and then I just -leaped- over it and I caught it!" He finished proudly with a fist in the air.

Wufei let his eyes wander from Duo's bloody hands up to his scratched up face. It was obvious that the rat had not gone down without a fight.

Duo grinned, obviously waiting for his approval

Wufei glanced down at his blood soaked pillow. The rat had bite marks on the back of his neck and he suspected that Duo had bitten its neck off. How charming.

"Well done." He said, trying to sound sincere. Duo was happy again, wasn't that all that mattered? "Let's just get you patched up and then we can take care of your catch.

"Okay!" Duo turned and shipped happily forwards the water bucket in the kitchen area.

With a grimace, Wufei took a hold of the rat's soft tail, lifting the dead body off the bed. At least it was better than tuna.

* * *

They returned to the tree house two days later. Duo was a lot more relaxed and happy while Wufei cared for nothing but getting some decent food. Rat and tuna was not something that he ever wanted to see on the menu again.

"What took you so long?" Heero questioned when they came up the stairs into the kitchen.

Duo smiled brightly as he skipped over to the table. "Why hello, I'm fine thank you. How are you?"

Heero grunted, turning to Wufei who ignored him for the refrigerator.

Duo pulled out a chair, spun it around and leaned forward to look down at the electronics that was spread over the table. "What ya doing?"

"It's a tracker with an emergency button. When activated it will lead us to it so that we will know instantly if someone are in the need of assistance."

Wufei paused from where he was eating cold potatoes and sausages straight out of the pan that had been standing in the refrigerator an unknown length of time.

The trackers were a really great idea. Wufei just wished that they would have thought of it earlier. By the empty look on Duo's face, so did he.

"I- I'm going for a walk." Duo announced before disappearing down the stairs.

Wufei looked down at the pan in longing before putting it back in the refrigerator and hurried to catch up to his friend.

He was such a sucker.

* * *

A/N

Sorry but I just don't have time to really answer my beloved reviews today :(

But I want to send my love to Lulu (I thought about using a butterfly but I just felt that it wouldn't be enough of a challenge for Duo), Princess cythera and her hair eating cats (LOL!), Semievilfiscus (I'm sure she knows you're straight but hell, who doesn't enjoy being close to people… and perhaps copping a feel), Chibs (laser pens rocks! Cats really does crazy over them) Cinnamon Selkie (Libraries are the shit. Are you also one of those people who dreams about having a room filled with books, a armchair and a door you can lock?), Toni (Well the garden is big and there was a hill between them and the house so I figure that Duo's hunt should go unnoticed) Altyerre (Unfortunately Quatre is a bit slow in this story so I think that implication went right over his head… but if he knew about the mouse eating he just might have), Liberycat9 (Duo's DNA is taking a rollercoaster ride, so yes, something like that) Kidishcaresh (Unfortunately, Wufei will not be growing any cat parts… even if it would be adorable) Cristalake (Totally jealous of you for spending time in the sun so I'm ignoring you right now. La-la-la, can't hear you.)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_The cat is out of the bag._

_Or_

_There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast._

* * *

Duo yawned, stretching out on his spot on top of Wufei. Lazily he reached back to push the tail in a more comfortable position under the cover.

Duo had been very relieved when Wufei hadn't protested when he crawled down into bed with him the night before. He didn't want to sleep alone and after spending a couple of nights pressed up against Wufei he wasn't sure that he could. Being this close and relaxed made the hum in his head start up and he had slept undisturbed the whole night through.

After just enjoying the warmth and comfort for a while, Duo easily slipped out of bed. He took a moment to really stretch out his entire body before making a visit to the bathroom.

Feeling happy but longing for company, he soon returned to the bedroom and climbed up on the bed. Dark hair was all that could be seen and Duo softly bumped his head into the back of his friend's.

"Wuuuu." Duo sang happily, moving down to rub the side of his face against Wufei's back.

"Mmm?" Rose from under the blankets.

"Wake up, it's morning." Duo informed his nearly unconscious friend. "Come on; get up, up, up, up."

The body under the blankets slowly rolled over and a hand searched its way out, landing on his head where it lazily started to scratch. Duo moved his head for better access. Yes, right there behind his ear. Nice, nice, nice. Duo melted. He curled up as close as he could, wanting to get as much of the heat that were radiation off Wufei as he could. The humming in his head took over, rising and falling like waves. His fingers flexed in pleasure, claws puncturing the blanket. His toes curled as Wufei found a good spot on top of his head.

"What got you in such a mood?" Wufei mumbled tiredly as he scratched.

Duo arched into his touch, the vibrating hum in his head growing louder. "Don' kno'" he moaned. "Oh, again, more, mmmm."

Duo arched into the touch, ears pressed down against his head as the hand passed over his hair. The buzzing sound just went on and on until Wufei dragged a lazy hand over his head and stopped.

"Just get off me you pest." Wufei grumbled teasingly, pushing Duo's head away.

Duo made a faint to bite his hand before grinning down at what he could see of his friend over the edge of the drawn up duvet. "Breakfast?" He asked happily, bouncing slightly on the bed as he fastened the bandanna on his head.

"Breakfast." Wufei confirmed with a tired smile.

Duo quickly climbed off, taking a hold of the duvet before running towards the door, taking it with him.

"Duo!" Wufei barked angrily but Duo just laughed giddily as he skipped down the stairs.

He dumped the duvet on top of the washing machine and went to find something to eat.

Quatre gave him a very strange look when he brushed himself against him when he went to search through the refrigerator. Duo ignored it. He didn't really know why he felt he had to do it, but it was like he couldn't relax until there was a bit of his scent on the people around him.

Finding some leftovers, Duo didn't bother even bother heating it before digging in. He carefully made sure to brush against Heero on his way to the table.

Wufei looked rumbled and half dead when he stumbled down the stair.

"You look tired." Quatre said kindly. "Do you want some tea?"

Wufei nodded heavily. "Yes please." He sank down at the table and glared unconvincingly at Duo from across the table. "I would have slept better if someone hadn't been sleeping on top of me." He grumbled in a low voice.

Duo just stuck his tongue out. He could tell that Wufei wasn't really upset with him and it wasn't his fault that Wufei was all warm and comfortable to sleep on.

Wufei yawned and nodded his thanks when Quatre placed a steaming mug in front of him.

"Can we play with the ball today?" Duo asked hopefully, leaning forward so he wouldn't be over heard.

Wufei smiled softly as he wrapped his hands around the mug. "Of course."

Duo grinned and turned back to his food. He had a feeling that today was going to be an exciting day.

* * *

Wufei hadn't slept as badly as he had claimed; in fact, the second Duo had settled in and started purring he had been dead to the world. He had only woken up once when Duo had shifted around for a moment on top of him before settling in once again with his face in the back of Wufei's neck.

Feeling pleased with the world, Wufei went to collect the remote controlled ball. He wondered if it would be able to handle rougher terrain, like the forest. Duo would probably appreciate the challenge.

"Chang."

Heero's voice made him stop and wait until his fellow pilot had caught up with him.

The other boy came to a stop in front of him, giving him hard look. "Will your relationship affect your concentration during missions?"

Wufei blinked in confusion. "What?"

"According to my research, a romantic involvement between two partnered soldiers could affect their priorities."

Wufei startled, gapping stupidly before he managed to respond. "We are not romantically involved." He hissed in embarrassment, hoping that Duo wouldn't be able to hear this from down stairs.

Heero silently watched him for a long moment. "He sleeps in your bed." He said as if it proved his point. Wufei realized that to an outsider, that really seemed like all the evidence needed. Unfortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth.

"He's just lonely." Wufei said quietly. "He was totally alone for six months and he's clinging to the first available person who's willing to give him comfort."

Heero tilted his head in thought. "So you are just having a sexual relationship?"

"No! We are not having sex, no relationship, nothing." Wufei hissed, glancing over at the stairs.

"Good." Heero stated. "According to my research, gay sex can lead to a lot of physical discomfort afterwards and piloting a gundam requires-"

Wufei turned on his heal and left, face burning like someone had set fire to it.

* * *

Duo stared intensively at the small purple ball in the grass. Any second now it might try to escape. Any second now.

Then it did and Duo leaped towards it, almost managing to catch it before it took a sharp turn in under a wild rosebush. Not wanting to dive in among the thorns, Duo hesitated for a moment before the teasing buzz got too much and he laid down flat, trying to reach into the bush to get a hold of it. It brushed past his fingertips and Duo hissed in annoyance. Seconds later the ball rolled out on the other side of the bush, heading towards the forest.

"Oh hell no." He mumbles as he put on a bit of extra speed to catch up.

Running as fast as he could he managed to get ahead of the ball, herding it in a half circle away from the forest. It raced through the uncut grass, up onto the garden path where it gained speed and escaped far out of his reach.

He growled in annoyance as he had to stop to push up his sleeves that were sliding down his arms. He wouldn't be able to catch the small ball if his hands weren't free.

The toy had stopped several meters away were it teasingly wiggled back and forth. The sight captured Duo's attention instantly. Slowly he crept towards it, his tail dancing under the bulky sweater. Intelligently he knew that there were no point in trying to sneak up on it since Wufei was he one controlling it but that did not stop him from lowering his body until his stomach brushed the grass.

Then the ball was off and Duo pushed himself forward, eyes stuck on it as he ran.

After several laps around the rose bushes, the ball suddenly came to an abrupt stop before racing back the way it came. Duo scrambled, almost falling to the ground trying to catch up.

"Hey that's cheating!" He shouted over at Wufei who was sitting further away. The Chinese man was perched on the roof of the gazebo on the hill. "It couldn't break before!"

"Sorry." Wufei shouted back even thou there were no reason to raise his voice, Duo could hear him just fine anyway. The apology sounded far from sincere from the way Wufei was grinning, innocently dangling his legs over the edge.

Annoyed, Duo rolled up his sleeves again before deciding that he had had enough of it. It was time to do this for real.

He pulled the sweatshirt over his head, dropping it carelessly to the round. The sun felt nice against his skin and it was a relief to get the warm tail away from his back. They were far enough from the house for Duo to feel safe enough to expose himself. None of the pilots ever came to this part of the garden.

He started out by rolling his shoulders and stretching out his back before getting down in a starting position. The ball was lying still in the grass not far from him. If he was careful and gave his hunt a good start he might just catch it. Quickly he jumped towards the ball, catching it easily. Too easily since the toy hadn't even moved.

"Hey! Pay attention would you!" He called out towards the watching boy on the roof.

Wufei blinked, looking down at the remote control in his hands.

"Right, sorry. Got distracted." Wufei mumbled with a light blush on his face.

"Pervert!" Duo accused happily, watching Wufei's embarrassment with great pleasure.

The toy started rolling again and Duo ran after it. Slowly, but surely he was starting to close in on it. It took a turn around an old apple tree only to hit a fallen branch which slowed it down just a little bit. Duo grinned. Just a little bit more, almost there.

The ball was within his reach and it came to a total surprise when the ground suddenly disappeared underneath his feet. Half a second later he fell into the swan pond with a great splash.

Hissing angrily, Duo scrambled back to dry land, but not before grabbing a hold if the bobbing purple ball. He stumbled to his feet, ears hanging heavily from the water. In disgusted he pushed away a piece of seaweed hanging from one of them before trying to dry away the worst of the water with the back of his hands. All the while he glared at the laughing boy up on the roof.

His hair was wet and heavy against his back and he took a second to squeeze out the worst of the pond water before stalking towards the gazebo.

He would have his revenge. Slowly he crept towards his pray, his wet tail dancing behind him. He sank his claws into the old, white painted wood as he carefully climbed upwards.

At first all he could see were Wufei's legs hanging over the edge, and then as he reached the top he could see all of him. Wufei was lying on his back, eyes closed with a soft smile on his face.

Duo faltered. He didn't know just what to do. He wanted his revenge but at the same time, he didn't want to destroy Wufei's good mode, they were too rare for that.

He settled for jumping on top of the other boy, sharing the smelly pound water.

* * *

Duo really hated to shower. He hadn't been overly found of it before but now it was just a pain in the ass.

It had been a lot of work to wash his hair that was not only long but thick as well. He sometimes had to wash it twice if not more just to make sure that he hadn't missed a spot. It also got heavy and took forever to dry.

And now this.

The tail had grown to the point that when it stood up the tip could reach the back of his neck. The hair (he refused to call it fur because only animals had fur) was long and thick and needed a ridicules amount of shampoo.

He tried not to look at it as much as he could.

The part where he had ripped the fur off stung when it came into contact with the water but Duo didn't pay it any mind. He would happily rip it all off if it meant getting rid of the tail.

He absently reached back to wash his back, only to freeze in horror.

"Fucking hell." Duo swore as his fingers encountered hair where there really shouldn't be any.

Dripping he hurried out of the shower, turning around and up on his toes as he tried to catch a look of his back in the small mirror above the sink.

"Shit. Just what I need, a hairy back." The hair from the tail was spreading to his great displeasure. He now had soft white hair growing on top of his ass, hair that got darker the further up on his back it got. It was thicker around the tail, thankfully growing more spears the further away it got.

Instinctively he reached for Wufei's razors since he was the only one of them who actually needed to shave, but stopped.

There were two problems in this. First of all, Wufei probably wouldn't appreciate him using his razors to shave his ass and second of all, Duo wouldn't be able to see what the fuck he was doing. There was only one thing to do.

* * *

"Wuuu! I need help." Duo whined as he crossed the room and sank down next to him on the couch.

"With what?" Wufei asked, happy that he had opened the window while Duo had been in the shower. Wet fur really did not smell all that good.

"Shaving my back."

Wufei blinked and looked up over the edge of his glasses, giving his friend a strange look. "Why do you want to shave your back?"

"Because it's hairy!" Duo hissed. "The damn hair on the tail is spreading."

Wufei blinked, he hadn't seen any extra hair during the hunt. But on the other hand, Duo had been pretty far away most of the time. "Let me see." Duo sat down on the couch next to him, facing away as he lifted his shirt up and pushing his sweatpants down. An impatient hand reached back to pull the tail out.

Wufei's eyes zoomed in on the deep ass crack he could see over the edge of Duo's soft pants. Damn his dirty mind, he really needed to get over this damned crush. Cursing himself he turned his attention to his task.

There was a strip of light fur growing from the tail up to his waist. It was thicker at the bottom of the tail, growing thinner and softer as it went. The chestnut fur seemed to be centered along his spine, stretching out halfway out on both sides. It looked unbelievably soft and Wufei really wanted to pet it.

"I don't think you need to shave it off." Wufei said after a moment.

"What?!" Duo grabbed a hold of a tuft of fur between his fingers, pulling at it harshly. "Just look at this, see how long it is?! Fucking gross that's what it is."

Wufei, whose eyes had once again wandered down to what he could see of Duo's ass tried to gather his thoughts enough to respond. The fur down there looked even softer. "Um, it's not that bad." Wufei waved away Duo's fingers, taking the opportunity to drag his own through the soft, slightly damp fur, combing it right. "It looks fine; it makes the tail look less out of place."

"I don't want it to look like it belongs there! Because it doesn't!" Duo wrapped his hand around the tail and pulled it roughly as if to underline his words.

"Stop that." Wufei batted his hand away, petting the abused tail. "There is no need to hurt yourself and there is no need to shave." He leaned back, relaxing against the couch pillows. "Besides, doesn't hair grow out darker if you shave it off?"

Duo snorted. "That's a myth." He dismissed, looking away as he fingered the top of the bushy tail.

Wufei tilted his head with a smile, knowing that he was going to win this. "Do you really want to take a chance with your back?"

Duo stared before pulling his sweater back down, dropping down casually next to Wufei to flip through the pages of the book lying there like he was the one who won the argument.

Wufei reached out and ruffle Duo's bangs with a smile. "It's not that bad." He told him and was just about to deliver more words of comfort when a shout cut him off.

"What the hell is that?!"

For a second, Wufei had no idea what Quatre's loud outburst was about, then he realized that Duo had forgotten to hide, not only his ears, but his tail as well.

A second of tensed silence settled in where the question hung heavy in the air. Then before anyone could even blink, Duo bolted out the open window. Not a sound was made so Wufei could only assume that Duo was half way to his tree, not lying with a broken leg on the ground under the window.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Quatre asked in confusion, staring out the window.

Wufei sighed, lifting his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. "Let's go downstairs and I'll explain. Tell the others to meet me in the kitchen; I only want to go through this once."

This was not going to be fun.

* * *

Explaining what was going on was not the easiest thing to do but Wufei did his best to work his way through the last couple of week's developments.

"Why weren't we informed of this before?" Heero questioned stiffly, eyes sharp like daggers as they stared at Wufei.

Wufei sighed, rubbing his temples to get rid of the tension. "Because Duo asked me not to. He's been trying to come to grip with everything that has happened and he's… very uncomfortable."

"That doesn't change the fact that the both of you have been withholding important information from the rest of the team, information that could jeopardize not only the mission but our safety as well. Not to mention that Duo has been back for some time now and that should be more than enough to get used to a few physical abnormities."

"It's not that easy." Wufei protested weakly.

Heero shifted his jaw with a hard look. "In a war it is."

Wufei had nothing to say to that since he was fully aware that Heero was right.

He had known it since day one. It was just too bad that the combination of attractive boys and Wufei had a habit of resulting in bad decisions.

Wufei sighed as he glanced away from Heero's glare, over at Trowa's blank face and on to Quatre's worried one. He hoped they were done with this soon so that he could concentrate on getting Duo down from his tree.

* * *

"You can't stay here." Wufei repeated patiently, looking up at the dark shape on the branch above him.

Duo didn't respond; he just shuffled in closer to the tree trunk.

Wufei bit back a sigh and pulled his hand into the sleeves of his jacket. He had a feeling that they were going to be there for a while.

"Quatre will probably hover to make sure that you are okay, Trowa will walk around with that infuriating smirk of his and tease you in a monotone voice while Heero will make sure that you can still perform your missions to perfection. I suggest that you ether pull pranks or threaten them with your claws; or, why not a combination of the two."

Something that could have been a half hearted snicker was heard from above him and Wufei went on.

"You could probably threaten Heero's laptop or Quatre's violin. And feel free to prank Trowa all you want, in fact, let me know if you need any help."

Yes, that was definitively a snicker. He started suggesting different ways to annoy Trowa, everything from writing 'Circus princess' on the back of his favorite pilot jacket to putting something nasty in his flute.

He didn't look over as the branched dipped slightly underneath him. He just made sure that he had a steady grip around the branch with his thighs as Duo climbed over him and curled up against his chest. He opened his arms and held his friend close, one hand stroking along the edge of the soft ears.

"Or we could give him a hair cut because that hair is bugging the hell out of me."

Duo purred happily as he was petted.

* * *

Duo felt a lot better when they returned to the safe house. Whatever Wufei had told the others seemed to have worked because no one appeared to be angry with him. Not even Heero said anything beyond ordering him to report any changes that might affect the missions. In Heero speak that more or less meant that he was worried about him and that if he needed anything he shouldn't hesitate to come to him.

Quatre hovered and asked a thousand questions while Trowa didn't say anything at all. He just absently tied a piece of paper to a sting and dangled it back and forth. Duo glared and wondered where he was going to find some pink paint for the back of Trowa's beloved leather jacket.

After such a traumatic afternoon, Duo decided that he needed a nap and left the rest of the pilots to curl up on Wufei's bed. He absently wondered just why Wufei's bed was so much nicer than his, it just wasn't fair. It was just as well that he started sleeping there instead of his own.

An hour or so later a well rested Duo woke up and stretched his back out. He yawned and rubbed along the edge of his sweatpants. The hair on his back had been pushed out of order by the elastic edge and it hurt when it was bent in the wrong direction.

Duo muttered angrily as he dragged his fingers through it, trying to comb it right. It didn't work. The strands just fell back, refusing to end up where he wanted. He pulled his pants down and licked his fingers, wetting them in hope that it would get them to stick better. In some extends it did, but the worst area just above his tail was hopelessly tangled. Duo growled and used the flat of his tongue to push it down. The hair was manageable when it was damp and the more he licked it, the easier it got. He looked up when he felt eyes on him. Wufei was staring at him with wide eyes and his mouth open in shock where he stood frozen with his hand on the door handle.

"What?" Duo questioned defensively.

Wufei's mouth worked uselessly for a moment before he found his voice. "You're licking your back." He said faintly.

Duo glared. "So?" Wufei hadn't freaked out when Duo had licked _his_ hair. Just because Duo's hair was on his back didn't mean that Wufei could act like it was a big deal. Especially since Wufei had been the one who told him that he didn't need to shave it off. He had no right to suddenly turn into a hypocrite.

"You're licking your -_back_-." Wufei repeated.

Duo kept glaring. "So?"

Wufei slowly shook his head. "Never mind."

Duo went back to his licking. It didn't take long before he was done and he decided that he might as well take care of his front while he was down there.

He glanced up at the sound of hurried steps and then Wufei was gone.

He shrugged and went back to work.

* * *

He didn't see Wufei for a few hours but when his friend did appear he of course did it when you were doing something that he did not approve of.

"Duo! Spit that out!" Duo blinked in surprise but let go of the shrieking mouse. It landed with a thump. Injured, the rodent twitched its bloody body over and Duo watched intensely as it started hobbling away. Without thought he raised his hand, claws out and ready.

"Duo, let it go."

Duo glared. "Mine." He hissed threateningly.

Wufei glared right back. "We are not having mouse stew again so unless you want to eat it raw, let it go."

Duo pouted and stood up, shaking his body to remind it how to stand up straight.

"Fine." He grumbled, watching his pray escape in under a thick bush.

"Come on, we need to get supplies."

Duo bounced over to Wufei and rubbed against his side. "Can I drive?"

Wufei snorted, glancing down to where Duo was stroking his temple against his biceps. "No, if I wanted to attract attention I would have taken Nataku to the store."

Duo cooed and wrapped his arms around Wufei, trapping his crossed arms. "Pleeease?" He begged, stroking his face against Wufei's throat. He felt Wufei sigh and he responded by lapping softly at his friend's throat. He worked his way up to Wufei's ear where he whispered a pleading "Please?"

"Fine." Wufei grumbled under his breath.

Duo grinned and snatched the keys out off Wufei's hand. With that he grabbed a hold of Wufei's arm and dragged him towards the car.

As he sat down in the driver's seat he briefly wondered what had happened to the smiling lion before checked his bandanna in the rearview mirror, making sure that there were no strange bumps on his head.

"I really wish you would stop wearing that, at least around the house." Wufei said as he fastened his seatbelt.

Duo, who had no wish to walk around looking like a freak only responded with a weak 'maybe' before starting the car and backing out onto the road.

Two eventless hours later they arrived at a small store in the middle of nowhere. Since they tried not to stop at the same place twice, it was growing more and more difficult to do their shopping.

They grabbed a shopping basket each and started going through the store. Different kinds of canned food and what Duo considered to be an insane amount of vegetables ended up in baskets. But that's what you get when Heero is the one writing the shopping list.

He smiled happily and brushed himself against Wufei in gratitude when his friend placed several cans of tuna in his basket.

It didn't take them long to walk through the store and they moved over to the check out. While Duo made small talk with the girl behind the cash register, Wufei started packing up their purchases.

"So what are you guys doing out here?" The pretty brunet asked as she accepted the money Duo handed her.

Duo shrugged. "Hanging out mostly but we're thinking about doing some hunting soon." Hunting OZ officers were the best type of hunting there was and he was hoping for a challenging pray.

"Really, what kind of catch are you looking for?" She asked with a flirty smile.

"Well, that just depends on what comes in our way." He replied with a wink as he leaned against the counter.

The girl giggled happily at the attention, making Duo grin.

In the background he could hear the small bell above the door ring as Wufei left the store to put the groceries in the car. He should go help him but he was having far too much fun to leave just get.

"So how long are you staying?" She asked twirling a cheap pencil around between her fingers.

Duo shrugged. "We're waiting for someone to catch up with us." So far OZ hadn't even come close to their safehouse so they were safe for now.

"So what do you do when you're not out here in the middle of nowhere?" She asked, clearly hoping that the handsome stranger was going to be someone exiting. He wondered how wet her panties would get if he told her he was a wanted terrorist.

"Demolition." Duo replied instead with an evil grin. He took a look around the small store, taking in the country feeling of it. "So what do you do for fun out here?"

She sighed as if in pain. "Not much, but we're having a party over at my place this weekend, maybe you and your friends would like to come." Marianne, as her nametag introduced her as, bent down to pick up a pad from behind the counter and Duo took the opportunity to look down her impressive cleavage. Nice.

He quickly wondered if there were any ways you could hid cat ears and a tail and still have sex. But no, that idea was doomed from the start. He smiled anyway and accepted the directions to her house and a phone number.

He muttered angrily over the unfairness of it all on the way back to the car.

"Damn, the fucking tail is totally fucking up all my chances of getting laid. The ears I could probably hide, but a big hairy tail? No way." He snorted as he slammed the door closed behind him.

He turned to his friend and paused when he noticed the unhappy look on his face. "Hey… you okay?" He asked the other boy.

Wufei smiled sadly at him. "Yeah, I was just reminded of something that I have been trying not to think about."

Duo nodded. It was hard not to get your own share of bad memories that jumped back up to the surface when you were least expecting it. He fastened his seatbelt and reached behind him to push the tail into a more comfortable position.

He glanced over at Wufei who was staring out the window with a heartbroken look on his face. It was a look of longing that Duo knew all too well.

"Did you lose someone...? A boyfriend or something?" He couldn't help but think that his flirting had triggered it since not much else had happened during their trip.

Wufei hesitated. "Well, I wouldn't call him my boyfriend, but yes, I lost someone." He shook his head slowly. "But I wasn't thinking of him… not really." He trailed off into a sad silence, looking completely miserable. Duo didn't know what to say, there was nothing to say.

Following his instinct he started the car and drove them out of sight from the store before stopping at the side of the road. Wufei looked over at him in question but Duo said nothing as he unfastened his seatbelt and climbed over to Wufei in the passenger seat. Wrapping himself around his friend, Duo for the first time willed himself into the vibrating hum, knowing that Wufei often relaxed when he did. For a second he almost thought he had made a mistake, and then he felt Wufei melt before slightly shaky arms reached out to wrap themselves around him. Feeling slightly like a plush toy he was pulled in close, not caring that Wufei's face was pushed uncomfortably against his ears.

He just stayed there, hoping that it would help.

* * *

A/N

No time to answer my lovely reviews since I'm on my brother's computer and he's not please with me at the moment ^^' he's trying to turn me into a gamer and I'm not allowed to read at the moment. I talked him into letting me post :) Now I'm off to kill shit with my sword.

But I loved every single one of my reviews and it would make me very happy to hear what you thought of the chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_Cats are so unpredictable. You just never know how they'll ignore you next.- Unknown_

_-_:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo couldn't sleep. He was staring up at the ceiling, like he had been doing for hours now. With a sigh he turned over on to his side, eyes pressed tightly closed he tried to will himself to sleep. It didn't work.

Wufei had left a few hours ago for a mission and his absence felt like a physical ache.

Duo felt ridicules for missing his friend but he did. He wasn't worried about him, not more then usual anyway. Wufei could take care of himself and if there were anyone who should be worried it was the poor Oz soldiers who came in his way.

Duo rolled over on his back again, reaching down to pull his tail out so that it wouldn't be bundled up.

Wufei wasn't going to be gone for long, but Duo was lonely now.

He had tried to hang out with Quatre during the day but he had ended up being restless and left in the middle of the conversation.

Duo sighed and rolled over on his stomach, pushing the pillow away. Everything smelled and felt wrong. He rolled over on his side. That wasn't right ether. Restlessly he rubbed the top of his head against the headboard but it wasn't like being petted. With a huff he kicked off the duvet, curling up in a ball in the middle of the bed. No relief. His tail wouldn't lie still and now he was cold too.

With an angry grunt he got off the bed, glaring at everything and nothing. He stepped into some soft pajamas pants and pulled one of his large sweatshirts on, pleased to note that it had a faint trace of Wufei's scent on it.

Soundlessly he left his room, walking along the corridor. He could hear the soft breaths of the rest of the pilots, all asleep. That only made Duo feel even more alone and he went down the wide stairs. He started roaming around the dark house, exploring the unused rooms that were covered in dust, spider web and mold. There were no lights on but he didn't have any problem finding his way around. The moon was up, full and un-hidden, sharing some of its light through the dirty windows. The house was quiet; or as quiet as a house that was ready to fall apart could be. Walls, roof and floors all creaked in the wind, as if complaining over its own age.

He walked around in the kitchen, touching things softly with his finger tips. He sat down in the chair that Wufei usually used but it didn't smell like him so he moved on.

He started climbing the stairs, passing the third floor and its sleeping residents, the fourth floor with its water damaged library before continuing up into the tower. Further and further he walked. The wallpaper was getting worse the higher up he went. At first it was simply the edges that were coming loose and the bottom that were gray with mold, but soon whole stripes were coming lose until all of it were simply paper, lying like old snake skin on the steps. Round and round the stairs went up. The wood under his feet protested loudly under his weight and here and there were some cracked steps, giving you the impression that they were warning you to stay back. It was slightly hard to breathe the sluggish air and the few windows gave very little light. It must have been very long ago since anyone had been up there.

Then suddenly there was a large hole on the stair, like if someone had stepped straight through the floor boards. Four steps were missing, leaving an intimidating opening. Duo leaned forward, looking down into the dark of the stair bellow.

He thought about turning back, but just thinking about his lonely bed made him change his mind. It was a stupid thing to do, he knew that, but that didn't stop him from going down a few steps and turning back to run towards the hole. With a leap, he sailed through the air, landing steadily a couple of steps away from the edge.

"Huh, wasn't as big as I though." He mumbled to himself before he continued up the stair. The wide stair came to an end in a round room. There were no roof left to speak of and part of the wall was gone. The smell of rutting wood and mold was almost overwhelming and Duo was grateful for the cool night air blowing over his head. He kicked away what once must have been a beautiful Persian rug, but now was just a multicolored net of mold before sitting down on the floor. He tipped his head back, looking up at the pale moon. It was a cloud free night and the stars were twinkling with their cold, muted light. He wished that Wufei was there with him, keeping him company. He closed his eyes, lifting the edge of his shirt over his nose. With a deep breath through his nose, it was almost like Wufei was there with him. Sitting patiently next to him, ready to face whatever challenge was in front him, ready to help Duo any way he could. Then he opened his eyes again and he was alone.

Still feeling restless he got to his feet and started to make it way back down again. Going down was easier than going up and he soon found himself back on the third floor.

If he went to his right, he would get to his own, dark room, if he went to the left, he would get to Wufei's. He went to the left.

The room looked spotless like always. Nothing was out of place. The only sign that anyone even lived there was the book lying on the small table over by the armchair.

For just a second, Duo thought about taking a seat in it. It smelled like Wufei but the color of it made him uncomfortable and the only reason why had hadn't killed it was because Wufei liked it so much and would be sad if he blow it up.

He went to the bed instead, ripping open the carefully tucked blanket and crawled in. Duo took a deep breath into the bedding. This was better. He curled up tightly, Wufei's pillow trapped between his arms and knees.

Maybe he would be able to sleep now.

Wufei should be home soon.

* * *

Wufei grunted as his legs protested against the stain he put on them by concurring the four stair steps up to the front door. His mission had been hell. A quick surveillance that shouldn't have taken more than two days had turned out to be a lot more complicated. Now, almost two weeks after he left the comfort of the safe house, he was finally back. All he wanted was to sink down on the couch with a good book, a hot rice bag on his tense shoulders and a warm, purring Duo in his lap.

The rank smell off the bottom floor welcomed him as he opened the door. He wrinkled his nose as he dragged his feet over the rotting floorboards. God, why weren't they staying at one of Quatre's luxury homes? Why did they have to stay at this dump right now when he really did _not_ want to walk up that long, steep stair?

He stumbled to a stop, looking at the wide, long spiral staircase in front of him. Wufei wanted to be strong and mature, but at the moment he just _really_ wanted to whine like a five year old about how he didn't want to. Fortunately, his pride wouldn't let him and he slowly started to make his was up the stairs, one step at the time. Silently he cursed the house, steadily ignoring the relief he had felt when he had realized that they were all still staying at the same safe house. He was for some reason growing quite fond of it. He just really hated the stairs at the moment.

Heero looked over at him as he lifted his heavy feet up the last few steps. "Good, you're back. Go take care of your pet."

Wufei blinked in confusion but Heero didn't elaborate as he brushed past him down the stairs.

He shook it off, because damn, he still stank of fuel. His fire thrower had jammed up and cracked the tank, making the clear fluid run into the cockpit in a steady flow. It was quite terrifying to have highly flammable liquid running down your body while you were fighting other suits, making sparks fly as the metal slammed together.

He shivered unhappily. Yeah, he really needed a shower.

Slowly he started to make his way up the second set of stairs, every step making his legs burn.

The words 'just a little bit more' were turning in to a chant in his head, slowly urging him on. A quick shower so that he wouldn't self ignite in his sleep, then he was off to bed. He just had to get up to the third floor. Just a little bit more, just a little bit more. Half way up the stairs, his eyes landed on a pair of bare feet with sharp looking toenails. He lifted his eyes, smiling tiredly up at his friend.

"Hello Duo." But instead of the happy welcoming that he had expected, he was met with thin glaring eyes and bared teeth. A sharp, angry hiss was heard and Wufei faltered. "Duo?"

Duo pressed his lips together tightly, crossing his arms as he stared down at Wufei. Tipping his chin up, he gave Wufei a conceited glare before turning to march away, tail staining against the back of his shirt where it was standing up proudly.

Wufei just stared after him in confusion, jumping slightly at the sound of a violently slammed door.

"What the hell just happened?" He mumbled to himself. Shaking his head he decided that he really was far too tired to figure out what was wrong. He needed a shower and some sleep, after that he would be more capable of handling this. Whatever -_this_- was.

With shuffling steps he went towards the bathroom.

* * *

A few hours later, a clean and well rested Shenlong pilot walked out from his bedroom, ready to face whatever challenge was before him. At least, that is what he thought.

He knocked gently against the bedroom door at the end of the hall. "Duo?"

There were no responds and he knocked a little louder. "Duo? You awake?" It was in the middle of the afternoon but you could never know with Duo Maxwell. He tried the door handle and the door opened effortlessly. Sticking his head in, he took a look around the room. It was a mess, an even bigger one then he had expected. Clothes everywhere, things thrown thoughtlessly around the floor, wallpaper scratched off the wall in long stripes, but no Maxwell. He closed the door, heading towards the stairs. If Duo wasn't in his room and he wasn't in Wufei's room, he was most likely in the living room or the kitchen. He had a very hard time believing that he would go outside. The soft rain against the window assured him of that.

The wooden floor creaked tiredly under his feet as he walked down towards the kitchen. 'This place must have been beautiful in its time' he thought as he brushed a hand against the velvet wallpaper that long ago had lost its color and paled by the sun's unforgiving rays.

Quatre and Duo was sitting quietly by the table, each nursing a cup of steaming coffee. They both looked up as he came down; none of them looked surprised to see him. They most likely heard him from the moment he sat his foot on the stair.

Wufei's eyes immediately went to Duo who glared back at him. He bit back a sigh; clearly whatever it was that Duo was upset about had not faded while he was sleeping.

"Duo?" He started only to be cut off by a threatening hiss. Wufei didn't let himself be intimidated and stepped forward. "What got you so upset? Can I-" He gasped in surprise as a burning pain flicked across the hand and arm that he had been reaching out towards his friend with. In shock he looked down at the four, heavy bleeding cuts starting at his elbow, stretched all the way down to the palm of his hand. He had no idea why getting clawed by Duo shocked him so much. It wasn't the first time, but on the other hand, it was the first time his friend had done it on purpose. He looked over at Duo who refused to meet his eye as he jumped off his chair and marched away. A minute later the sound of a slamming door once again echoed through the old house.

"Shit." Wufei grabbed a hold of a dishtowel, holding it toward the inside of his elbow where the cuts were the deepest. "What on earth is going on?"

Quatre sighed as he got up to receive the first aid kit. "Well, he's clearly angry with you."

Wufei groaned as he pressed the cloth against the bleeding wound. "That I could tell, I just don't understand why. How can I have gotten him upset when I haven't even been here?!"

Quatre put the metal box down on the table, giving Wufei a look like he thought he was an idiot. "I do believe that's the problem."

"What?" Wufei questioned as he tried to stop the blood from dripping to the floor.

"You weren't here."

Wufei gave the blond a worried look. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, it was enough that you weren't here."

Wufei sighed as he looked down at the blood stained towel.

He was not in the mood for this; he just wanted to relax, preferably with a happily purring Duo with him.

Why couldn't things just go his way?

* * *

He couldn't figure out just why Duo was angry with him, because being away on a mission wasn't really something that any sane person would consider to be a reason. And Duo was sane, despite all the evidence that said otherwise.

But since Wufei obviously was in the wrong, he figured that some old fashion groveling was the way to go.

At first he tried to apologize and explain. That earned him another pair of scratches on the back of his hand. He tried to be nice, something that turned out to be hard to do since Duo started avoiding him like the plague. He even tried to bake Duo's favorite cookies.

The last worked to a certain degree. Duo did eat them but he did it in Wufei's bed, leaving a nasty surprise for Wufei that evening when he went to bed.

He had also been condemned to sleep alone, something that made the act very hard to archive.

Wufei found several pair of pants shredded, almost all of his socks gone and the back of the armchair in his room looked like a scratching post.

'At least he isn't peeing on the floor.' Wufei thought to himself as he picked up what was left of his pants.

Duo was ignoring him to the point where he could sit right next to him and not acknowledge his existence. Well, apart from tipping over Wufei's glass so that the content ended up in his lap.

With a sad sigh he cleaned up his room the best he could before curling up in his bed, pulling the duvet over his head. 'Maybe it will be better tomorrow.' He though hopefully, just like he had done every night since he had gotten back.

* * *

Wufei startled awake. For a second he didn't know what had woken him up, and then he became aware of the shape looming over him next to the bed. A pair of glowing eyes stared down at him in the dark. "Get under the cover would you." He mumbled, pulling on the duvet. The eyes observed him for a moment before Duo started to crawl in beside him.

Slowly, trying not to startle his friend, Wufei reached out to pull the warm body closer, stroking a hand down his neck. It didn't take long before a deep, satisfied purr rose, vibrating against Wufei's side. With a pleased smile he closed his eyes.

* * *

A few days later Wufei for once got to wake up on his own instead of having a certain someone bouncing on the bed.

After spending four horrible days being avoided, Wufei had now spent a week being just about stalked. Duo seemed to be determined to make up for lost time and had been all over him, all day.

This was actually the first time aside from bathroom visits that Duo had left him alone. Wufei briefly thought about taking the opportunity to sleep in but couldn't when he noticed that it had been far too long since he changed the beddings. They smelled stale and uninviting. With a wrinkled nose and a silent promise to wash, Wufei rolled out of bed.

He was about to pull on yesterdays clothes when he noticed the amount of fur on them. His pants, socks and shirt were covered in a layer of chestnut brown and white strands. Even his undershirt was full of it. He really needed to get one of those pet hair rollers.

"Have to convince him to start brushing that tail." He mumbled as throw all clothes over to the pile in the corner before walking over to the unsteady excuse for closet standing over by the door.

He pulled out his usual pair of white pants and a blue tank top before grunting in tired annoyance when he noticed that they too were covered in fur. "But I just washed these." He complained under his breath, wondering if he was ever going to get the privilege of wearing clean clothes again.

Coming to the conclusion that the answer was 'no', Wufei got dressed and went down stairs.

The kitchen was empty but by the faint smell of tuna, he could tell that Duo had been there no long ago. If felt strange to be all alone and Wufei found himself missing the soft brushes Duo usually gave him whenever he was close.

Hurrying through his breakfast he went outside to go through his katas, more out of habit then anything else.

Still no sign of Duo.

It felt strangely lonely without his friend's presence and Wufei tried to remember if it had felt that way before they became friends. He couldn't remember.

When he was done he wandered up stairs to take a shower. There were no trace of the others and the only sound around was the low creaking from his footsteps on the old wooden floor.

It took a second for the light to come to life after switching it on. The muted light grew in strength slowly until you could see were you put your feet, not much else. Not that the bathroom was much to see. The walls were dark of mold, the floor uneven under the plastic mat. The copper pipes were dripping steadily, no matter how much time Heero spent on trying to fix them. The shower in itself was nothing more than a shower head with a moldy shower curtain hanging in front of it. Not very inviting but what choice did they have?

He got undressed and stepped in. The water was at least warm and he spent a moment just enjoying it before getting to work.

He was almost out of shampoo and he suspected that he wasn't the only one who used it. If he didn't buy a new bottle soon he was going to have to start using Trowa's eucalyptus shampoo or Heero's mud looking one. There was no way that he was ever going to use Quatre's heavily perfumed shampoo… even if it was a pretty intriguing smell.

But it wasn't all that strange that Duo found the need to borrow shampoo, not with both the braid and the tail. And now he was starting to grow fur. Soft, inviting fur that felt like silk under his hands. Fur that stretched out over the lean back and down over firm globes that really needed to be petted just right.

Wufei looked down. "Figures that you were going to show up." He told his dick. There was no responds but the message was clear and Wufei leaned back against the wall to take care of it.

Duo and his back quickly took care of the problem and Wufei washed off. Getting out of the shower he dried off and dressed, still with Duo in his thoughts. He wondered where he had gone off to. Most likely he had wandered off into the forest and ended up in his tree.

Drying his hair with a damp towel, Wufei stopped and sniffed as he entered his bedroom. He hadn't noticed before, but it wasn't just the beddings that were starting to smell. His whole room was clearly in need of a thorough cleaning.

With a sigh he got started, muttering about how it really was a job for women.

After changing the beddings, carrying the laundry downstairs and picking up random things from the floor, Wufei went to fetch the vacuum cleaner.

"What are you doing?" Duo asked from over by the doorway. He had no socks on and his jeans had grass stains, something that told Wufei that rodent were going to show up on the menu soon enough.

Suddenly feeling a lot happier when he wasn't alone anymore, Wufei fastened the floor brush to the pipe. "Cleaning obviously." He said and bent down to plug in the cable. He always felt a bit apprehensive when he used one of the sockets in the house. God knows what could happen if they ever overheated one. Especially since the whole house was made out of wood.

Duo snorted. "Yeah well I can see that."

"Then why ask?" Wufei questioned as he stepped on the start button.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!"

Wufei jumped in surprise at the scream, shutting the vacuum cleaner off before turning towards the doorway. The empty doorway. A soft mew made him look up on top of the wardrobe where Duo was curled up with his hands over his ears.

Wufei gave him a confused look. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?!" Duo roared. "That fucking thing almost gave me heart attach!"

Wufei glanced down on the vacuum cleaner. It was a pretty old model and it was far from quiet. That Duo's hearing was a lot better now days probably made it even worse. "Sorry."

"Just don't turn it on again." Duo growled angrily, tail dancing sharply behind him.

Wufei sighed. "I'm going to have to; I really need to clean this place up."

Duo took a look around the room from his look out spot. "Looks okay to me."

"Well I don't think so. There is too much dust around." 'Not to mention fur' he finished silently. "And it is starting to smell."

Duo jumped off the closet with a glare, quickly slinking out the door. Wufei had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing his friend for a while.

With a sigh he started the machine once again and started vacuuming.

He spent a long time trying to get the fur out couch before giving up. It was just going to be full of it again as soon a Duo came back to claim it. He had hoped that Duo would come back when he turned the machine off but unfortunately, that was not the case. Disappointed Wufei finished with a quick floor scrubbing before deciding that he was done.

He left the room to empty the bucket and put away the mop before he returned, pausing in the doorway.

The room spelled heavily of cleaning supplies and it looked a lot better then before. He felt pleased with himself for a job well done. Then suddenly he could smell that stale smell again. With a frown he took a look around the room, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It was as if the heavy smell had gotten stuck in his nostrils.

"Are you done?" Duo asked as he rubbed himself against his side on the way in.

"Yeah, it's just…" He trailed off with a puzzled look until realization hit him. It wasn't the room hat smelled, it was Duo.

Oh… Well that was going to be awkward to do something about. Telling someone to go get cleaned up felt a bit rude. Instead Wufei casually walked over to the window, opening it wide to let in some fresh air.

He barely had time to sit down on the couch before Duo settled in on top of him in his favorite position with his head on Wufei's knee and his arms hanging limply down to the floor on ether sides of his legs.

Wufei leaned to the side and managed by the skin of his teeth to get a hold of the book on the side table. With one hand on Duo's back and the other on his book, Wufei leaned back with a pleased smile. Only to be distracted by that smell. There was something slightly familiar about it. Like something he smelled on a regular basis. Then he couldn't help but blush as he suddenly realized just what it reminded him of. He had last smelled it in the shower while he was… exercising his right hand.

Swallowing awkwardly he decided not to mention it, for all he knew, Duo had spent all morning jerking off.

Oh, bad thought.

The vision of Duo, naked on his hands and knees, tail curling wildly behind him as he worked his hand up and down his cock. Claws digging into the mattress as he yowled in pleasure.

Wufei mentally slapped himself over the head. That was _so_ the wrong thing to think about when you had said friend lying in your lap.

Focusing on his breathing, Wufei worked hard to calm down. His efforts were challenged by Duo's constant demands of petting.

"Up." Duo ordered.

Wufei moved his hand further up his back.

"Up more."

He got to Duo's neck, rubbing gentle circles under the braid. Duo purred happily, his warm breath heating Wufei's knee.

A sudden breeze coming from the open window reminded him of something that he had meant to ask his friend. "Duo, you wouldn't happen to know what happened to all my missing socks, would you?" He asked hopefully, wiggling his slightly chilled toes. He only had one secret stash left now.

Duo turned his face away but not before Wufei caught a sight of a pleased leer. "Maybe."

"Any chance that I would get to see them again?"

Duo stretched his arms out over his head. "Maaaybe."

Wufei sighed and decided not to push. He didn't want to remind Duo that he used to be angry with him; he could just get new ones the next time they went shopping.

Fussing restlessly, Duo turned over and Wufei barely managed to keep his legs closed and not let him fall down between them.

The thick braid landed on his foot as Duo made himself comfortable on his back.

Wufei shifted awkwardly. It was one thing to pet someone's back; it was a completely different thing to be petting someone's front. He prayed that Duo's next request wouldn't be 'down' because there was a limit to the things he was ready to do for his friend.

He scratched Duo under his chin, stroking down his chest in long, soft pets. Duo seemed pleased with that and Wufei turned to his book. Calm settled in and the two boys spent an hour doing nothing but relaxing, taking the opportunity while they had it. Who knew what OZ would suddenly come barging in, forcing them to split up or for a mission to drop in on them.

Then Duo suddenly stopped purring, lifting his head slightly to look over towards the door.

Wufei paused as well, also looking towards the door to figure out what had disturbed Duo

A shape appeared in the doorway. "What's going on?" Quatre asked as he stopped to watch them, sounding highly amused.

"Nothing much." Wufei replied, like it was nothing out of the ordinary to have Duo lying on his back in his lap

Quatre gave him a strange look. "… right, well, anyway. I heard a strange noise and I wondered what it was."

Duo put his head back down. "Noise?" He said like he had no idea what his friend was talking about.

"Yeah, it was pretty low but it sounded like a small engine or something."

Duo snorted. "And you came in here to find it?" He swatted at Wufei with a sleeve covered hand and lay back down. Wufei, who recognized an order when he saw one, started rubbing Duo's stomach again.

Quatre just looked at them. "Am I missing something?"

Wufei just shrugged and concentrated on his Duo petting.

Quatre gave the both of them a strange look before backing away.

Duo wasn't even close to as relaxed as he seemed and it took a long while after Quatre had left before he started purring again.

The sound made Wufei's shoulders relax as well. He didn't like being interrupted in his Duo petting any more then Duo did.

Wufei turned back to his book as peace one again settled over the room. He flipped a page, scratching Duo under his chin, something that made the purring reached a new high.

"I knew I heard something!" Quatre exclaimed in triumph as he suddenly jumped through the doorway.

Duo glared at the blond from where his head was hanging upside down from Wufei's knee. "What?" He questioned in annoyance, body tense like a bow at the sudden appearance.

"You're purring."

Duo turned over in Wufei's lap, still glaring at the triumphing teen. "I don't purr. I'm not a fucking cat."

Quatre grinned. "Yes you do, I just heard you."

Duo sneered and opened his mouth to retaliate. Wufei put a hand on his back, stopping him before he could say something he was going to regret. "Duo… you do purr." He said softly.

Duo twisted around, sliding off his lap to hunch down next to him on the couch, looking like the world just ended at his words. "But I- why didn't you tell me?"

Wufei shrugged helplessly. "I thought you knew."

"No I didn't know, how was I supposed to know?" Duo questioned angrily.

Duo looked really upset and Wufei restrained himself from asking it that was a trick question. In the corner of his eye he saw Quatre _the coward_ escape."Because… it's very obvious and pretty loud."

"Well I didn't hear anything."

Wufei shrugged helplessly. "You still purr."

Duo stared down at the floor, seemingly deep in thought. Wufei left him alone and turned back to his book, waiting for Duo to catch up to the, for him, new development.

"Do I do it often?" Duo asked softly.

Wufei shifted a laugh since he couldn't remember the last time Duo hadn't been purring every five minutes or so. "Yes." He answered simply, letting Duo come to his own conclusion.

Duo thought for a moment. "Does it sound strange?"

Wufei shook his head slowly. ""No, it's actually a very nice sound, calming."

"Oh." Duo shuffled a bit, hugging a leg up to his chest and resting his chin on his knee.

Leaving Duo to his thoughts, Wufei turned back to his book.

He made no comment when Duo crawled back into his lap, he simply stroke the tensed back.

"Am I purring now?" Duo asked a few minutes later

"No." Wufei replied in amusement as he looked down at his friend.

"Oh." Duo lay back down and Wufei continued his petting, hopping that the other boy would stop being so tense.

Wufei had barely read half a page before Duo raised his head up again, looking at him in expectation. "Now?"

Wufei smiled, putting a hand on top of Duo's head and pushed it back down. "Just relax, let it come on its own."

Putting more effort into his petting, Wufei concentrated on the spots he knew that Duo liked. His lower back around the tail, his neck and the top of his head. Carefully scratching him around the big ears, the purring once again started up.

"Duo." He said softly. "you're purring."

The purring immediately stopped as Duo tensed up, ears flicking back and forth. "I can't hear anything."

Wufei held back a snicker. "You need to relax, let's try again." He once again pushed Duo's head back down before concentrating on his petting. It took a while, but soon enough Duo was purring like a pleased housecat.

"Duo, I want you to relax, breath slowly." Wufei said softly, never pausing in his strokes.

"Mmmhmmm." Duo mumbled, barely audible over the loud purring.

"What can you hear?" Wufei asked softly.

"Mmm, waves." Duo mumbled sleepily.

Wufei blinked. "Waves?"

"Mmmmm, it feels like waves too." Duo sighed happily, claws puncturing the couch pillows.

Wufei smiled softly as he kept up his petting. "Sounds nice."

Duo just hummed happily in tune with his purr.

* * *

A relaxing while later, Duo went downstairs to get himself some snacks. His eyes lingered on the tempting metal cans. But he restrained himself, deciding to spare Wufei the smell. He personally thought it smelled wonderful but hey, everyone knew that L5 people were a bit strange.

He found some ham for himself and cut an apple up into neat slices for Wufei.

Absently he made Heero smell right as he passed him on the way to the stair.

He blinked in surprise as Heero stepped back, giving him a guarded look. "What are you doing?"

Duo blinked looking down at his plate and up at Heero again. "A snack?" He asked, making Heero glare suspiciously. "I'm not doing anything!" Duo defended himself.

"Yes you are."

"Well I'm breathing, does that count?" He asked patronizingly. Maybe it wasn't just the L5 people, because Heero was constantly getting stranger.

Heero shifted his jaw. "You are touching me."

Duo eyed the distance between them. "No, I'm not."

"But you were, why?"

"Jesus, paranoid much? I'm not going to stab you or anything."

"Why were you touching me?" Heero demanded.

Duo held a hand up in front of himself, as if to ward off an attack. "Look man, I barely brushed against you, what's the big deal?"

"The _big_ _deal _is that you did not brush against me, you rubbed yourself against me. You're whole body."

Duo sighed. "So?"

Heero glared. "Why?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "Seriously Ro, you need help." With that he turned and went back upstairs.

Wufei was still sitting at the end of the couch, his head bowed down over his book.

"Heero's acting strange." Duo said as he got up on his knees next to Wufei, brushing his forehead against Wufei's throat before putting the plate down on his friend thigh.

"Hm?" Wufei questioned without taking his eyes off his book.

"Yeah, he was all like 'don't touch me!'"

"So?"

"It wasn't the usual 'don't touch me' it was more like a 'I'm an alien, put down your weapons and explain your human costumes' - thing." Duo curled up against Wufei's side, putting his chin down on the other boy's shoulder.

"Hmm." Wufei breathed softly as he turned his head slightly to read the next page.

"Yeah, I know. It was freaky. I think Heero is getting a bit paranoid to the extreme." He said, pulling back to glare at a piece of Wufei's hair that was tickling his temple. Annoyed, Duo delivered a couple of wet licks to make it lie down. Satisfied with the result, Duo curled up close and started to purr.

Wufei turned another page and reached for an apple slice.

* * *

AN

That was it for now. Please review? You would make me very happy if you did :)

The next chapter is almost done (reviews might inspire, hint hint ;)) and will be posted when I get it back from my beta reader.

_Sallzy _– Yeah, it took me a couple of hours, but here it is :)_ Lulu_ – Happy that you are enjoying yourself and thanks for pointing out the spelling error, I'll fix it when I'm not feeling so lazy. _Hopeless Romantic_ – Lol, I wouldn't call myself a gamer but I did try there for a while. So I'm guessing that you are a bit of a hurt-comfort-angst lover, am I right? If so I do believe that you will enjoy the rest of this story ;) _DuochanShinigami_ – More changes coming up soon :) the relationship on the other hand will take some time. As in –more Wufei torture. _Cinnamon Selkie_ - LOL! If Duo curled up on his head he would probably end up killing him. Luckily for Wufei, Duo prefers sleeping on top of his back so he can't breathe. Glad you enjoyed the chapter. _Christalake_ – *grin* I imagine that if Trowa knew about the ball he would never let him live it down. _Flight-Risk_ – Sorry to disappoint but Duo is going to keep Wufei hanging for a while longer. No happy ending just yet. _Megan_ – I'm sure Duo will have Wufei better trained soon enough. He hasn't been a "cat" for that long but he'll get a hang of it, don't you worry :D _Vree_ – Thank you, I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying yourself. Thankfully I never got the hang of warcraft. Thank god. I'm more into killing zombies and button mashing. That and running into walls, yeah, that's my thing. _Snowdragontc_ –A huge thank you for such a nice review and the answer would be no, Wufei will not get lucky in any way for a long time. Poor bastard. _Toni_ – They will get together… just not right now :) Trowa might be a bit mean, but he is enjoying himself far too much to care. _Librarycat9_ – Yes, the poor baby managed to forget that small part. Having to watch Duo flirt probably was a bit of a cold shower. _Kidishcaresh – _Wufei would probably not be very pleased if you huggled him, no. Duo on the other hand would probably enjoy it :D _Princess Cythera –_ Glad you enjoyed the back licking because I sure enjoyed writing it :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_"A cat will do what it wants when it wants, and there's not a thing you can do about it." - Frank Perkins_

_Or_

_"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." - Bruce Graham_

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The morning had long past when Wufei lowered his arms with a soft sigh ending his kata. He would have kept going, feeling that it was far too long ago since he had taken the time to work himself to the point of exhaustion. But there was a feeling of approaching rain in the air and he chose not to.

His plan was to take a shower but he barely made it through the front door before Quatre appeared, motioning for him to follow. Curious, Wufei fell into steps with the blond up into the kitchen.

Trowa and Heero were already there, sitting at the table with its mismatched chairs.

"Should I get Duo?" He asked. Since the braided boy hadn't met up with him, he could only assume that he was roaming around in the forest.

Quatre shook his head. "No, this is actually about him, please sit down."

Curious as well as worried Wufei took a seat next to Trowa, waiting to hear why Winner had gathered them there.

Quatre sat down at the head of the table, lazing his fingers on top of it. "Is it just me or has Duo gotten awfully… friendly lately?"

Trowa nodded while Heero grunted in agreement. Wufei gave the blond a strange look. "Friendly? Maxwell is always friendly… well except when you piss him off and he takes it out on your socks." He muttered, annoyed that he at the moment was wearing his second last pair. He had an emergency stash in Nataku but he wasn't about to use them yet.

This time it was Wufei who was on the receiving end of not only one, but three strange looks.

Quatre shook his head as to get back to the point. "Well there is friendly, and there is -_friendly_- if you know what I mean."

Wufei didn't.

"He keeps touching and hugging. You can't go anywhere near him without having him all over you." Quatre complained, squirming restlessly in his chair just thinking about it.

Wufei tilted his head in confusion. "How is that different from before?"

Quatre sighed. "Never mind. He clearly has just extended this behavior to the rest of us."

"The sniffing is new." Trowa pointed out.

"Yeah, I asked him why he was constantly sniffing us but he wouldn't answer. That he appears to have stopped showering doesn't make things better. Because the smell is-" Quatre cut himself off as a slamming door echoed through the house. It didn't take long before a happy hurricane came running up the stairs. "Wu!" Duo exclaimed happily and Wufei barely had time to brace himself before Duo's full body weight slammed in to him. Duo's arms were around his neck, legs wrapped tightly around his waist.

Wufei fumbled, trying to hold on to Duo without trapping his tail or putting his hands on any inappropriate places. "I saw you barely three hours ago." Wufei pointed out but Duo paid him no mind, instead choosing to lick Wufei's temple. A low, deep rumble rose from Duo's chest as he worked.

Wufei sighed, holding his left eye closed as Duo lapped his eyebrow. "So this is –_friendly_- right?"

"Uhm, very friendly in your case I do believe." Quatre said faintly as he watched Duo in something close to horror.

Wufei sighed as he wrapped his arms under Duo, holding him up as he carried the other boy up to his room and over to the couch. He ungracefully sat down, taking Duo along with him. "Duo?" he asked softly, trying to make contact with the purring bundle in his lap. "Are you feeling alright?"

When Duo didn't respond he took a hold of his chin, forcing him to make eye contact with him.

"What's wrong?"

Duo just purred, eyes closing in pleasure as he rubbed himself against Wufei's hand.

"Duo." He barked sharply. Heavy eyes blinked several times before they focused on him. "What's going on?"

Duo just gave him a dazzled look, a goofy smile spreading on his face. "Nice." Duo purred sensually, moving in closer.

Wufei stared in confused fascination. "What? What's nice?"

"Warm nice, touch nice, smell nice." Duo mumbled as he buried his slightly too hot face in Wufei's neck. Wufei sighed. Duo was clearly coming down with something, probably a bad fever. Not that Duo wasn't usually what Winner described as friendly but this was a bit extreme even with Duo's feline package.

Not knowing what else to do, Wufei just started petting his back. Duo's purr got even louder.

They sat like that for a long while until Wufei's arm got tired and he stopped his petting, leaning back to meet Duo's eyes.

"What?" Duo grunted

"I just came back from my workout and I need a shower."

Duo whined in protest as he rubbed his face against Wufei's shoulder.

"Well even if you don't mind, I'm not so sure about the rest of the people in this house."

Duo whined as Wufei wrestled himself free to escape into the bathroom.

It didn't take him long to figure out that he had a problem. He was out of shampoo.

"Damn it." Wufei grumbled. Quatre was clearly mistaken because Duo did indeed shower. His friend was the only one who had his own shower but that apparently didn't stop him from finding Wufei's shampoo bottle.

He hesitated among the bottles. He didn't want to use Trowa's and smell like toothpaste, Heero's shampoo was just plain strange and Quatre's…

He opened the black bottle and took a quick sniff. It smelled heavy and masculine. He had to admit that it was a damn sexy smell.

Maybe he would use it just this once.

Feeling slightly guilty he washed his hair quickly and got out. He instantly noticed his second problem. Not only had he forgot to bring new clothes, he had also forgotten to bring a towel.

A slightly damp towel was hanging on a hook next to the sink, most likely used by the last person who used the shower.

With an annoyed grunt he grabbed it, roughly drying his hair. This just wasn't his day.

Wrapped it around his waist as he dumped his clothes into the plastic sack that served as his laundry hamper.

With that he left the bathroom.

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At the sound of the bathroom door opening, Duo jumped off the bed, ready to meet Wufei by the door. Only to pause half way, sniffing the air with great concentration. He could barely smell Wufei over the heavy smell of perfume and the little he could make out was mixed with the smell of… Heero? What the hell! Duo couldn't sense any of his own scent on Wufei, something that made anger flare up like fire. Wufei was calmly, seemingly ignorant of his betrayal, walking towards him, towel wrapped around his waist as he was dragging his fingers through his stinking hair.

Duo bared his teeth in a quiet growl. How dared he? Duo had spent a lot of time making sure that Wufei smelled right, and what does he do? He goes and covers himself in chemicals and –_Heero's_ smell! That was so mean and not to mention rude! This was not acceptable; he would not stand for it!

As soon as the other boy got close enough he roughly tackled Wufei up against the wall, trapping him there. Wufei was protesting but he did _not_ care. Wufei had brought this upon himself, the mean, selfish _bastard_. He had deliberately washed away all Duo's scent and chosen _Heero's_ instead, regardless of Duo's feelings. The betrayal was beyond words and Duo was extremely angry. He would show Wufei who he belonged to. _There_. He smiled smugly. There would be no mistake who owned him now.

There was a moment of complete silence. Wufei blinked with wide eyes. "Did you just piss on me?" He asked.

Duo looked down at his bared penis and the strongly smelling liquid running down Wufei's leg. Yes, it appeared so. Duo bolted. He ran out of the room, down the stairs and was out the door faster than he had ever managed before. It had started raining quite hard but he didn't care. There were only one place to go and Duo didn't slow down until he felt the rough bark under his hands and feet. He climbed and climbed, way past his branch, up almost all the way to the top. The tree swayed under his weight, the cold rain beating down on him harshly.

He curled up against the tree, tail tucked in close, shielding his bare feet from the rain.

The rain drops hid his tears. He wanted to scream that he wasn't an animal, but he wasn't so sure about that anymore. He might as well stay here where he couldn't do any harm. Wufei sure as hell wouldn't be coming for him this time.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Drying his leg off with the towel, Wufei went to take another shower.

This really wasn't they way he had dreamed of becoming up and close to Duo's cock.

Duo looked beyond pathetic when Wufei finally managed to get him down from the top of the tree. He was soaked to the bone and cold as ice. His eyes were red from crying and his large pointy ears were hanging depressingly. His tail was also missing a large tuff of fur where Duo obviously had plucked it.

When they had reached the ground, Duo barely touched the forest floor before leaping up into Wufei's arms, holding on to him like he was his only salvation. Grunting under the weight, Wufei carried his crying friend back to the house.

"I'm sorry." Duo sniffed wetly from where he stood with hunched shoulders in the middle of his bedroom, letting Wufei more or less wrestled him out off his wet clothes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Arms." Wufei demanded, holding a dry sweater up before him.

"I didn't mean to." Duo mumbled from the inside the sweater as it was pushed over his head.

"I know. Feet."

Duo stepped into the loose sweatpants and Wufei pulled them up and tied the strings around his waist.

"There's just this stupid thing in my head and I don't know how to stop." Duo hiccupped wetly. Wufei took a hold of his elbow and steered him over to the side of the bed and pushed him down.

"I know, but I don't know what set you off."

Duo pulled his legs up against his chest, hiding his face against his knees in his embarrassment.

Wufei climbed up on the bed, sitting down with his legs crossed legs behind his friend, armed with a large towel and a brush. Without a pause, he started to unravel the braid in front of him, drying it as he went. He ignored the way Duo's shoulders were shaking, letting him cry in peace.

A long while later when it appeared that Duo had run out of tears and Wufei long ago had managed to dry the long hair, they sat silently. Wufei was brushing his fingers through his friend's hair in long, calming motions. "I'm sorry." Duo said once again.

"It's okay." Wufei answered quietly as he started to separate the mass of hair into three parts. "I just want to know why you tackled me in the first place so that you don't have to do it again." Duo was quiet and Wufei had plenty of time to braid his hair and tied it together before he spoke up.

"You smelled wrong."

Wufei lifted an eyebrow. "I smelled wrong?" That wasn't an answer that he would have expected. "Was it the shampoo?"

"Yes, or no- but yes." Duo grunted in frustration, slipping to his feet to pause in front of the bed. "That stuff made you smell _wrong_ like- like it wasn't you but the worst was that you didn't smell like-" Duo cut himself off with an embarrassed shrug, his tail waving back and forth like a window wiper.

"I didn't smell like… what?"

Duo didn't answer him, he just started passing the bed over and over again as he paced. Wufei sighed and shuffled over until his legs were hanging over the edge of the bed. "Duo?"

All he got was a restless twitch as Duo tensed up, moving faster over the floor.

He tried again but no answer beyond the nervous flickering of the large ears. A sudden loud crack came from further down the hallway, most likely from another one of Heero's inventions. The sound made Duo jump and two seconds later he had scrambled his way to the top of the high closet standing by the door. Wufei bit back a frustrated sigh. Tackled, peed on, soaked by rain, he was not in the mood to climb on furniture.

He looked up at the curled up boy who looked even more pathetic then before. The ears was the only thing sticking up, the rest was pressed down on top of the closet.

"Duo." No respond. "Please come down." No movement. No responds. How the hell was he going to get him down? Trying to get him down physically would most likely earn him another set of scratches, but luring him down might work if he let him calm down for a moment. "You don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to. I'm going to get us something to eat. Do you want something in particularly?" Once again there was no respond. Wufei nodded like he had gotten his answer. "Right, up to me then. I'll be right back." He stepped out, closing the door behind him. If he just let Duo calm down then maybe he would get an idea of what was going on. Or at least a chance to relax. He suddenly stumbled to a stop in the middle of the hallway as he ran in to Trowa who was glaring angrily. Wufei startled at the out of character behavior from the other pilot.

"Control your pet." Was all he said, shoving a pilot jacket into his arms before marching away. Wufei blinked, looking down at the shredded mess in his arms that obviously had gotten in Duo's way. With another sigh he continued on his way. He didn't get far before Heero stopped him over by the stairs. Cold eyes zoomed in on him. "Keep a tighter leach on the pest or I will take action" He shouldered his way past him, clutching a bundled of cables that looked strangely chewed on. Wufei could only assume that they were the reason for the loud noise.

"Why is it my responsibility?" He asked the empty corridor, but naturally, he got no answer. With a sigh he went down into the kitchen. Deciding that a few sandwiches would have to do, he prepared them and made his way back to Duo's bedroom. A quick look told him that the other pilot was still curled up on top of the closet. "I brought- well, I wouldn't call it lunch, but it's close enough." There was a slight movement from the fluffy tail, but nothing more. It was time to bring out the secret weapon.

"I have tuna." He said, tapping the flat metal can against the desk. There was a full body twitch and the large ears were shifting in interest. Wufei reluctantly opened the can, letting the revolting smell spread in the room. Duo peeked over the edge of the edge of the closet.

Wufei pretended not to notice as he tipped the tuna up on a small plate. "Do you want it?"

A soft, mewling sound was his answer. "You better come down then." A hesitation before Duo shuffled closer to the edge then he gracefully, without a sound jumped down and landed next to Wufei.

Instead of handing the plate over, Wufei brought it along over to the bed and sat down with his back against the wall. Duo slowly followed him, hesitating for a moment before he got up on the bed and crawled over to Wufei's side.

Feeling pleased, Wufei handed the plate over, turning back to his sandwich so he wouldn't have to look at the massacred fish.

Later when Wufei had finished his late lunch and Duo was curled up beside him with his head in his lap, he decided to start asking the questions that needed to be answered.

"Why did you shred Trowa's jacket and Heero's cables?" It felt like a safe place to start.

Duo shrugged in obvious frustration. "Don't know, just angry."

He softly stroked the back of one of the big ears. "Why?"

"No reason, lots of reasons." Duo said seriously, closing his eyes as his forehead wrinkled in thought. "It just feels like something is missing. I need something, I just don't know what."

Wufei paused in his strokes. "You think we should visit Sally?"

Duo bit his lower lip with sharp looking teeth. "Don't know, but- I can feel it building, every day is worse than the last." He curled up tighter against Wufei. "I'm such a freak."

"You are not."

Duo choked out a wet laughter but he didn't protest. "Did something else happen today?" He asked and pushed Duo's bangs away from his face

"The others are starting to avoid me." Duo confessed quietly. "I tried to leave them alone but the smells just wouldn't let me."

"What kinds of smells?"

Duo shrugged. "Can't describe it, They smell nice and I just have to make sure that you- they smell a bit like me, like- like you all belong to me or like we are part of the same… thing. I don't know, I just need it or I can't relax. It's like if you don't smell like me, then you are the… enemy. The opposition... not mine." He looked almost ashamed to say it out loud.

A sudden understanding dawned on Wufei. "So when I came out of the shower and didn't smell right you-" He got cut of as Duo groaned loudly borrowed his face into Wufei's lap, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

"Whow! Personal space." Wufei protested, automatically bringing his knees up as Duo rubbed against his crotch.

Obviously not feeling generous after all the embarrassment and the ruffled treatment, Duo glared up at him. "Would you lie still?"

"Well if you would restrain from head butting curtain parts of my anatomy I would gladly do so."

"Perv." Duo accused but didn't remove his head from his lap.

Wufei sighed in defeat and put his legs back down. You really can't make a cat do anything. You just had to adapt.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Look!"

Wufei startled awake but he did not open his eyes, too scared of what he might find on his pillow. "Wuuuu! Look!"

Wufei held his breath. He couldn't have dosed off for that long, could he? Duo couldn't have made that much damage, right? There was no use in hiding. Wufei opened his eyes and stared.

"I caught it!" A drenched Duo exclaimed happily as he jumped up on the bed. He bounced on his knees, making the mattress roll with him.

Wufei would have been annoyed over the wet bedding if it weren't for the fact that there was a dead swan lying on the bedroom floor.

He wondered if it would go away if he closed his eyes.

Duo moved in close, getting on his hands and knees over Wufei. "It was really heavy and it was fighting really hard to get away and it can bite really, really hard, I almost thought it was going to bite my fingers off and-"

Wufei sighed. Duo was dripping and he smelled strongly of mud, alga and that strange musky odor.

He quietly wondered why this was happening to him.

"We can eat it, right?" Duo asked hopefully with a drop of water hanging from his nose and a piece of seaweed stuck to his cheek.

Wufei looked down. From this angle he could see straight down Duo's wet shirt. There was a lot of smooth skin there. He looked further up at that pretty face.

Right, that was why this was happening to him.

Wufei sighed deeply. "Of course we can, we just need to pluck it, gut it and cut it up in manageable pieces."

Duo grinned and dove down to give him a full body hug. Wufei would have appreciated it more if he hadn't still been drenched in pond water.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

He let Duo do most of the dirty work since he seemed to take great pleasure in tearing the bird into bloody pieces.

Wufei cut the meat up and put it in plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator. He wished that they had a freezer but this was just going to have to do. They were going to be very sick of swan meat soon that much he knew. Wufei took a step back to close the refrigerator door and proceeded to slip and almost bashed his own head in. When he got his footing back and had a tight grip on the side of the sink, Wufei looked down.

Dark red drips trailed across the room and Wufei followed them with his eyes over to his friend who was piling sticky meat with great concentration. He was covered in blood and feathers, more or less from top to toe. "Duo, you're getting blood all over the place. Go take a shower and I'll take care of this."

"But I don't wanna." Duo complained before he began lapping some dripping blood off his arms and hands.

The licking didn't help much and the dripping continued. Wufei decided to take desperate action to prevent further messes. "Please?" He asked softly.

Duo paused with his tongue on his elbow. "Oh fine." He grumbled as he gave what was left of the swan a look of longing before disappearing up the stairs.

Wufei was left to clean up the floor but it still felt like a victory. After putting most of the meat in the refrigerator, Wufei concentrated on their dinner. He decided that swan meat did in fact do very well in a stew, as long as you watched out for random feathers.

Some time later the rest of the pilots strolled in at the smell of food and helped to set the table as Wufei carried the steaming pot over.

"Why are you wearing Duo's clothes?" Trowa asked giving the large shapeless sweater Wufei had pulled on a curious look as he sat down by the table.

Wufei snorted and put the pot down before rolling the long sleeves up to his elbows. "Believe me; it's better than the alternative."

Trowa lifted an eyebrow in question but Wufei pretended not to see. He was not going to give the other boy more ammunition for his teasing.

Whistling happily, Duo bounced down the stairs, making far too little noise compared to the rest of them. "Oh, it smells like chicken." He hummed happily as he skipped over to the table, leaning over Quatre's shoulder to look down onto the stew.

"Urgh!" Quatre gagged, bringing his hand up over his nose. "Duo for god's sake, go take a shower. You stink."

"Hey!" Duo protested angrily. "I just got out from one, my hair is still dripping."

"Well you obviously didn't do a very good job in there." Quatre said, gagging slightly.

"Personal hygiene is important for a successful pilot." Heero said, glaring at him from across the table. "Do it again."

Duo hissed angrily, sounding like a pissed off jungle cat as he turned on his heal and went back upstairs. The sound of a slamming door could soon be heard.

"Maybe it's the tail that smells." Wufei suggested, breathing a bit easier as the heavy smell was no longer hanging in the air. He knew it wasn't the tail, but there were no way that he was sharing his real theory. It didn't help that he kept imagining just what Duo was doing to smell like that.

"No, that just smells like wet dog, this is something else." Quatre said with a grimace. "God knows what he's been doing to smell like that." Wufei hid his blush by filling his glass with water before sitting down next to Heero.

"Maybe it's another experiment result that's evolving." Trowa suggested.

"That's possible." Wufei nodded, taking a sip of his water. "A lot of Duo's new… accessories have evolved over time."

"We'll keep an eye on him, report any developments to the rest of the team." Heero said without taking his eyes off the plate in front of him.

Wufei nodded, lifting Duo's abandoned plate over to his so that he could fill them both. There was no way that Duo was going to come back down after Quatre's comment. Everyone was used to having Heero putting his foot in his mouth, it happened almost every day. But Quatre was not... socially challenged and his words were therefore taken more seriously.

Carefully carrying the plates upstairs he pushed Duo's door open with his hip. The heavy, musky smell washed over him as soon as he stepped in, making him feel slightly lightheaded.

The room was dark and for a second he almost thought it was empty, and then he saw the light from under the bathroom door.

"I brought some food." He called out as he put the plates down on the desk next to him. Turning around, he flipped on the light.

He waited for a responds but when he didn't get one, he simply busied himself by arranging the plates and the silverware.

Another couple of seconds went by.

"I don't smell… do I?" Duo suddenly asked in a heartbroken voice from the other side of the door.

Wufei bit back a sigh. Gods, why did this happen to him of all people? He wasn't equipped to handle situations like this. "The thing is that you kind of do." He said, happy that he wasn't anywhere close to Duo's claws. "Most likely it has something to do with what was done with you. We should let Sally take a look at you, just in case."

"Don't wanna." Duo sniffed.

"Okay, but if it gets worse, we're going. Deal?"

"Yeah." Duo agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you, now come out and eat." He said, turning around to pull out a chair to sit down.

"I'm just going to take a shower."

Wufei frowned. "Didn't you just take one?"

He could hear clothes dropping to the floor before Duo's embarrassed voice could be heard. "I cheated a bit so I'm taking another one."

"Well hurry up, the food is getting cold."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo glared at the hanging mess behind him. He really hated when his tail got wet. It got too heavy to stand straight and it smelled. He had used up almost an entire bottle of shampoo on the tail and it still smelled like a wet dog.

Quatre was right, he was disgusting. He really should just stay away from everyone until the tail had dried.

"Duo, are you alright?" Wufei asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, fine." He answered quickly, rubbing his tail with yet another towel.

"You've been in there for almost an hour."

"I'm almost done." He said, dragging a hand over his tail. It wasn't really wet, but it sure wasn't dry ether.

Wufei sighed. "Just come out would you, the food is beyond cold but we can heat it up if you want."

"In a minute."

"Duo." Wufei spoke his name in a voice that spoke of stained patience.

Duo inched away from the door, wishing with everything he had that he owned a blow-dryer. "No."

"Duo."

"No, it's not dry yet."

"…what isn't dry?"

"The tail."

There was a pause. "Why does your tail have to be dry?"

Duo rolled his eyes. Like that wasn't obvious. "Because it smells."

"I'm going to kill that blond." Wufei mumbled quietly, clearly thinking that Duo couldn't hear him through the door. "It's okay, it's hardly noticeable."

Duo appreciated the lie but he wasn't going to fall for it. "No it isn't."

"Oh for t- Duo, your tail does _not_ smell that much, besides, I'm the only one here."

Duo shuffled closer to the door.

"You know I don't care how you smell, hell, I let you sleep in my bed while stinking of sewer. So would you just come out... please?"

Duo hesitated but he figured that Wufei was right. His friend had already seen him at his worst times so this was nothing compared to all the rest of crazy thing he had put Wufei through.

Duo unlocked the door and slunk out into the bedroom.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They ate in silence. Wufei tried to figure out something comforting to say but the truth was that Duo did smell, even after his hour long shower. And unless Duo had been masturbating- Wufei cut his line of thought off. Not thinking about that. No. Just no.

When they were done, Wufei took the plates and got up. "You should probably kill the other one too." He said as he put the plates down on the desk.

Duo looked up from where he was lying on his side on the bed, lazily lapping his fingers. "What? The swan? Why?"

Wufei shrugged as he walked over to the bed, sitting down with his back against the wall. "Swans mate for life."

"So I should kill it just so it doesn't have to be alone?" Duo asked as he got up on his knees and crawled over to his side.

"Dying out of sorrow doesn't sound all that pleasant ether."

"I guess." Duo curled up around him. "Pet." He demanded.

Wufei did as he was told.

They spent the rest of the day just like that, enjoying each others company. Duo's ears were pushed down against his head as Wufei's hand stroke his head over and over again until it felt like his hands were going to fall off. He took that as a sign that there had been enough petting for one day. Now he just had to convince Duo of that. "I'm tired and I want to go to bed." He said as he climbed over Duo's relaxed body, ignoring the displeased glare he got for his trouble.

They went through what now was a routine. While Duo brushed his teeth and got undressed, Wufei did the same in his own room. Wufei then probed himself up against the headboard and got his book out. By then, Duo had slipped into his room, closing the door behind him before climbing onto the bed, making himself comfortable in Wufei's lap, purring as he was petted. Or scratched as in this case since Wufei's hands were protesting.

It was nice to have routines when the world around them was just one big chaos.

Wufei stopped his scratching for a second as he flipped the page. The smell really wasn't that bad once you got used to it, in fact, it was hardly noticeable by now.

He read until he had finished his chapter before putting the bookmark in between the pages and placed the book neatly on the nightstand. Duo had fallen asleep long ago but regained consciousness when Wufei nudged him off. That didn't mean he was happy about it as Wufei pushed him away so that he could roll over on his stomach. Duo didn't waste any time before crawling back on top off Wufei, pushing his face up against his friend's neck.

Wufei sighed. There was no point in complaining, he was just going to get used to sleeping without air in his lungs.

"I'll try to kill it tomorrow." Duo said softly against the back of Wufei's neck. "Being the one left behind is the worst."

"Yeah, it is." Wufei whispered, closing his eyes.

Some time later he startled awake by a horrified scream. "DUO! What the fuck did you do to my computer?"

"Don't worry, I locked the door." Duo snickered into his hair.

Wufei groaned as Quatre tried to rip the door open without success. "Do I even want to know?"

"Nope." Duo said happily, totally ignoring the angry pounding on the door.

Wufei sighed once again as he closed his eyes. Hopefully, Quatre would give up soon.

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A/N

Right, sorry for the long wait. Too much work and a computer that keeps dying on me have slowed down my writing. If you took a second to leave me a word about what you thought about the chapter then I would be very happy :)

Next chapter will be updated on Friday.

_**Kyothefallenkit**_ – lol, no I have a hard time believing that they would forget about the tail, no matter how much Duo would like them to XD _**Akakoogoo**_ – Thank you :) Glad to hear that I could make you laugh ^^ _**Cinnamon**_ _**Selkie**_ – I have not really decided just how far I'm going to take the transformation… we'll just going to have to see what mood I'm in when I get to the end *evil laughter* Wufei is slowly learning how to be a good human slave. He still need a few more lessons but Duo is being pretty patient with him XD _**Aly**_ – No, poor Heero has no idea how to deal with animals, especially cats. I have a feeling that he's more of a dog person. Luckily for him, Wufei is the one who is going to be the main focus of all the stalking and… other things that I have planned *leer* _**Toni**_-LOL! I can so see Wufei going into the pet store and emptying all the shampoo shelves. That way he would at least get to keep his own. Trowa, Heero and Quatre really must wonder what is going on because as you said, Duo is too close to notice and Wufei is enjoying every minute of it. Damn, the rest of this is going to be so much fun to write because I –love- to torture the boys. _**Cristalake**_ -I'm happy that you like it and - lucky for you, there will be a lot more of your two favorite things. Cats and WufeixDuo… a lot more :) _**Kidishcaresh**_ - I'm happy that you like kitty Duo, the sock stealing little bastard :) And believe me, Heero will have the chance to be a lot more disturbed later on. _**The Dancing Bard**_ – I promise you, that before the end, Heero will pet the kitten and Trowa will be one very impressed clown. It will take me a while, but I will fit it in there somehow. And Duo and long hair just kind of fit together, doesn't it? … poor Duo XD _**Princess**_ _**Cythera**_ – LOL! If the cat on you icon is yours then I can totally understand how you can identify with Wufei. The hair must get everywhere. But on the other hand, I can also understand your sister for missing the cats more then you XD such a pretty cat! What kind is it? _**Librarycat9**_ – Oooh, I think you can guess why ;) And where it will stop, no one knows. _**Snowdragonct**_ - Who? Me? Would I twist Duo's mind beyond recognition and make him do things that he normally wouldn't do? Would I really traumatize him to the point where the poor boy wouldn't even recognize himself? Would I really let the cat parts overwhelm him and overshadow his own personality?... why yes, I do believe I will *evil laughter* _**Sallzy**_ – I'm really happy that you are enjoying yourself and of course there will be more :) don't you worry.


	10. Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

_The cat has nine lives - three for playing, three for straying, and three for staying. - English proverb_

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"You're leaving again?" Duo questioned, digging his fingers into Wufei's desk, his claws making small puncture marks in the wood.

"Yes, it shouldn't be more than a week." Wufei told him as he checked his packing, making sure that he had enough bullets with him.

Duo let out a low, sad noise as he brushed against Wufei, sitting down on top of the table next to the backpack. He ignored Wufei's protest and pulled the other boy close, wrapping his arms around him tightly. He pressed his nose into Wufei's neck, taking a deep breath. Wufei let out a long sigh in surrender and lifted his arms to hold him.

"I'll be back soon."

Duo nodded, but didn't let go.

For some reason if felt even worse then usual to let Wufei out of his sight, like he really needed his friend with him right now.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

In the middle of the night, just a few hours after Wufei left, Duo woke up knowing that something was not as it should be. There was a strange feeling in his body, he couldn't put his finger on just what it was but it was there. It almost felt like the alien feeling was moving around inside of him, making his skin itch from the inside.

He squirmed unhappily, throwing the duvet off, hoping for some relief. It didn't work; instead it just went on and on and on. He wanted it to stop. He needed something, he didn't know what, but he just knew that he needed it more than anything.

He let out a vibrating whine in frustration as he clawed the wall. The complaining sound sounded loud in his own ears but it felt good to let it out. Not holding back, he let another shrieking, almost begging sound as if he was waiting for someone to answer his call.

A couple of loud thumps on the wall cut him short. "Shut up!" Heero's frustrated, if muffled voice was heard from the other side of the wall.

It startled Duo who slinking to his feet. The otherwise quiet pilot was not someone you wanted to piss off when he was trying to sleep. The consequences could be devastating.

Duo paced back and forth in the small room. The burn rolled in his body, forcing him to move, to find what he needed. The itching was building up into a almost smarting pain.

He didn't know what to do, he needed help. He was halfway across the room before he remembered that Wufei wasn't there.

He bit back another whine as he went back to his bed, curling up in the corner. He wouldn't be getting much sleep this night, that was for sure.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The mission with Trowa went surprisingly easy. Both posting as waiters at the expensive restaurant they had no trouble completing their mission. Trowa managed to effortlessly drop a flambé in the lap of a movie star, something that proved to be a brilliant distraction. The woman screamed bloody murder as the still burning meat landed on her sparkling and most likely, expensive dress. The commotion that followed easily made it possible for Wufei to slit the throat of the Oz officer dining at the restaurant. After that they both slipped out before anyone even noticed that there was a dead man in the corner.

The only thing that hadn't gone as planed was the deep, water filed ditch that Wufei had accidentally stepped into on the way back from the hidden hangar. He cursed softly to himself as the water overflowed the edge of his boots. He didn't have that many socks now days and he wouldn't put it past Duo to make the few he had left disappear while he was gone.

With squishing steps he reached the old house.

"How did the mission go?" Quatre asked politely as Wufei sank down on a chair at the kitchen table.

"Flawless, they didn't see a thing." He said smugly, unlacing his boots. He could almost feel his feet's desperate wish to be released from the horror of wet socks.

Wufei glanced up at the sound of creaking floor boards.

"Maxwell is getting uncontrollable." Heero grunted as walked down the stairs, joining the two others by the table.

"What makes you say that?" Wufei asked in surprise as he bent down to free his feet from his damp boots. As far as he knew, Duo had been very well behaved since the cable and jacket incident, if very clingy.

"He bit me." Heero said, holding his arm up to show the rest of the pilots the marks of sharp teeth and four long scratches. They matched the ones Wufei once had on his arm perfectly.

Wufei blinked in surprise. Why would Duo do that? He was usually the one who had the most patience with Heero and his horrible social skills.

"He has been acting very strange lately." Quatre pointed out.

"He's going to end up jeopardizing the missions if he keeps it up." Heero said coldly but the two other pilots knew very well that those words were as close as showing worry as Heero could get.

Picking up his boots, Wufei started walking towards the stairs. "I'll go talk to him." He said over his shoulder.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

He found Duo hiding in his bed. Wufei's bed that it. The musky smell was for a moment almost overwhelming and Wufei took a second to get used to it before he walked over to sit at the edge of his bed. Duo didn't say anything, probably trying to pretend that he wasn't under the cover. Wufei reached out to slowly pet Duo's back. "Why did you bite Heero?" He asked after a moment.

Duo curled up tighter under his blanket

"Duo?"

There was a weak, almost embarrassed mumble.

"Can't hear you." Wufei pointed out softly, still stroking the tensed back.

"Pulled my tail." Was the whispered respond as Duo pulling the blanket closer around himself.

Wufei blinked, than frowned in anger. "What! He pulled your tail?" The injustice of that action was unforgivable.

Duo peeked out from under the cover, giving Wufei a clear look of his wet, red eyes.

Wufei was half a step away from going down stair to show Yuy just what happened to boys who pulled the tails of defenseless… boys.

Then he stopped himself. Heero might not be the most socially adapted person, but he wasn't cruel. He held back, stroking Duo's back once again. "Why did he pull your tail?"

"I just couldn't stop. I tried to be quiet but it just slipped out anyway. I tried, but the more tired I got, the harder it was to hold it in." Duo sniffed pathetically and abandoned his blanket to crawl over to Wufei. After a bit of fumbling, Duo somehow managed to settle in his lap without crushing him. Wufei stroke the ruffled bangs away from the tear painted face and wrapped his arms around his friend.

"Hold what in?" Wufei asked, stroking the tensed back, making sure not to bother the tail.

Duo squirmed unhappily, fingers gripping Wufei's jacket. "I- I feel weird. Something's going on, don't know what but… making noise helps." Duo looked displeased with his explanation, like he understood just how strange it sounded.

Wufei held back a sarcastic responds about Duo and noise. Now was not the time. "And just what kind of noise were you making that made Heero react like that?"

He hesitate. "It's… I kind of just… called out? No, complained, no, more like- urg!" Duo pressed his forehead against Wufei's collarbone in frustration. "I made noises and he told me to stop, and I tried! I really did!" His tail, that for once were out, flexed sharply, sweeping over the back of Wufei's hands. "Then he told me again and I tried, I tried so hard to be quiet, but it hurt and I couldn't!"

Wufei petted the trembling body in his lap, making soothing noises.

"I didn't mean to, I really didn't."

"I know Duo, we'll figure it out." He told him, letting Duo cling him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Well?" Heero asked impatiently as Wufei came down the stair.

Wufei glared. "I understand that he was bothering you but pulling his tail was to take it a bit too far, you could have seriously injured him."

The only indication he got that Heero actually felt bad about what he had done was the dip his eyebrows made. "I was trying to research a very important mission and he was screeching nonstop, I couldn't concentrate."

Wufei nodded. "It's a problem, but do not pull his tail, he is sensitive enough about it without adding a hospital visit."

Heero nodded ones before turning on his heal to march back to his room.

Wufei sighed; maybe he could finally get to change his socks now. If he had any left.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo twitched. He felt strangely restless, even more than before. He couldn't sit still. His stomach hurt, or maybe it didn't quite hurt as much as it stung. But it didn't really sting, it itched. It was like his whole body itched. No, it didn't itch; it was more like it hurt. He whimpered in pain and frustration.

His legs bounced uncontrollably where he was sitting on the edge of the bed before falling back on top of it.

He felt... raw. His stomach ached and his head ached. Hell, even his _skin_ ached.

He sat back up. Wufei would make it better. He didn't know how or why, he just knew that his friend was the key to making the discomfort go away.

Unfortunately, Wufei had directly and seriously told him, that if he disturbed him again while he was working on Nataku, he would not be pleased. The tone he used reminded Duo of a time when Wufei couldn't even stand to be in the same room as him, never mind being his friend.

Not daring to risk such an important friendship, Duo had left the other pilot alone.

Duo couldn't understand what was going on, but lately he just had to be close to Wufei whenever he could and deliberately staying away from his friend was making him anxious.

The last few days he had been more or less stalking Wufei around the house.

If Wufei stayed still for longer the a few seconds, Duo would be all over him. Hell, Wufei didn't even have to be still for Duo to rub himself against him.

Wufei had been very patient but he had been on the verge of losing his temper when Duo had latched on while was trying to fix a malfunction on Nataku's fire thrower that kept jamming it up. Duo knew that he shouldn't have tried to climb up in Wufei's lap while he was welding, but he just -_had_- to do it.

He was just becoming obsessed with making sure that he had Wufei's scent on him and that Wufei had his.

He couldn't relax, he was too restless for that. Being with other people helped a bit and they smelled nice. Especially when they smelled like him too. But the other three pilots were avoiding him. Doors that never were even closed before were now barged shut and when ever they left their hiding places they were walking around like they expected to be attacked. This just made Duo feel lonely and he tried even harder to get close to his friends. It was not appreciated and Duo would go back to bothering Wufei after every failed attempt until his friend lost his patience. His days were an endless circle of restless wandering and failed attempts of physical contact.

To make things worse he was horny all the time. He didn't know how many times he had to escape to get some space to work it off. He thought about going in to the closest town and trying to find some willing girl but he couldn't risk it, and let's not forget how he was going to explain the large, fluffy tail on his back and the damned ears.

He paused from where he was at the sound of footsteps on the stair, walking upwards. Then the smell of Wufei reached him and Duo happily jumped to his feet.

He hesitated over by the bed room door. Wufei had laid down on top of his bed, clearly trying to take a nap after spending all day out in the sun.

Duo crept closer and closer, looking down at his dozing friend with slitted eyes.

He took a deep breath through his nose. Wufei smelled so good. It was driving him insane. The other pilots smelled nice too but Wufei was like every delicious thing in the world rolled up in one.

He climbed over the warm back, trying to get closer. Wufei just grunted as he settled in.

He took a deep breath into Wufei's neck. Nice. He went lower, finding Wufei's armpit. Very nice. Wufei halfheartedly tried to wave him off but Duo just pressed his face in under his arm. Nice. It smelled so good, like something he needed.

He moved lower where the smell was the strongest, making his body tingle and his mouth water. Breathing deeply he moved in close.

"Whow!" Wufei rolled over, pushed him away with his knees as he shuffled away from him. "What the- Didn't we talk about the distance thing?"

Duo had no idea what his friend was talking about but he was more then a little disgruntled for being shoved away. With an insulted huff, Duo climbed off the bed and set for the door.

"Duo." Wufei sighed behind him. "I didn't mean to-" Duo opened and slammed the door behind him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Are you still mad at me?" Wufei asked from the doorway.

Duo ignored him, turning his face away.

Wufei held back a sigh. If it was something that he had learned from his developed friendship with Duo, it was how to say please, how to surrender and not to mention, how to beg for forgiveness even when you thought that you had done nothing wrong. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you, you just startled me." He slowly walked closer, arms hanging along his sides, palms open. "Forgive me?" He asked softly, coming to a stop a few steps away from the curled up boy.

Duo gave him a dismissive look.

It wasn't a 'no' but it wasn't a 'yes' ether.

Wufei hunched down until he was in eye level with him before reaching out to run a hand over his back, making sure to rub the bottom of the tail.

Duo turned his face away again but a few strokes later, a low purr rose from Duo's chest. Wufei breathed out a sigh in relief. It didn't seem like Duo was going to hold a grunge. Lifting Duo's tail away, he sat down on the edge of the bed, petting his friend.

He really should have gotten used to Duo's strange habits by now. But on the other hand, how did one get used to having someone stick their nose up between your ass cheeks?

Wufei couldn't help but blush when he thought about it. He tried to remind himself that it wasn't Duo's fault; he was just following instincts that weren't his own. It was a completely innocent act and he was just being a pervert for thinking anything else.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo twitched. Claws digging into the rug he was lying on. He was so restless! He was losing his mind. He needed to run. So he did. Out the door. Along the corridor. Up the stairs to the fourth floor, down again. Down the corridor, into his room. Jumping up on his desk, down again. Up on the bed. Turning, running again. To Wufei's room, turning, back to his room, turning again, running towards Wufei's room.

"What are you doing?"Wufei asked from where he was coming up the stairs. Duo didn't respond, didn't stop. Into Wufei's room. Socked feet sliding on the floor as he rounded the yellow chair, across the room and then leaping up on top of the wardrobe. Fretting he turned in circles on the small surface. Round, round, round again. Claws digging into the wood. Ah! No! Hair out of place! His sweatshirt went flying as he made quick work of the awful feeling on his back. Quick, short licks. There, all better. Wait. Noise. Ears focused quickly.

He heard steps coming and he got up on all four, ready. Wait for it. His ears followed the sound. Wufei walked through the doorway. Getting ready. Fingers gripping the edge. Jump!

Leaping on top of Wufei, sending them both to the floor. His pray cursed underneath him. Duo jumped off, hurrying over to the couch where he curled up in Wufei's corner.

"What the hell was that for?" Wufei asked in annoyance as he picked himself off the floor.

Duo gave him an innocent look.

"Well?" Wufei pressed on with an angry frown.

Duo looked away and started licking his arm. There was no point in trying to explain something he didn't understand himself. It was easier to just go along with it. He could feel his instinct and impulses taking over more and more. He was drowning in them. He couldn't stop it. Couldn't find the strengths to even care when everything inside of him was telling him that this was the way it was supposed to be.

Wufei sighed and walked over to pick up his book and sat down on the other side of the couch. Barely a second later Duo was sprawling all over his lap with is nose pressed into his stomach. Wufei smelled nice.

He felt a bit better now.

But he had a feeling that it wouldn't last.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

It didn't.

The next day was beyond worse.

Restless, uncomfortable and fucking horny!

Duo rolled over on the bed, pressing his hip down against the mattress. God he was so horny! Horny, horny,hornyhornyhorny. Sex, sex, sex.

He desperately humped the bed, trying to ease the discomfort.

He didn't know what to do; it wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. He had been horny before but nothing like this. It couldn't even compare.

With a frustrated whine he rolled off the bed and to his feet. He needed to move, he needed relief. He needed. Need, need, need. Needed.

In a daze, Duo stalked out of his bedroom. He didn't know what he was looking for; he just knew he had to find it. Automatically, he ended up in Wufei's room at the other end of the corridor. It was empty of life and Duo curled up in the comfort smelling armchair. He vaguely remembered disliking the chair but he couldn't remember why. It didn't matter anyway, very little mattered at the moment besides finding relief.

He smelled him before he saw him.

Wufei calmly walked in and Duo jumped to his feet, running over to do a full body stroke against him. Wufei smelled so good and now he smelled even better, now he smelled like he was Duo's. The smell was like a collar with 'property of Duo Maxwell' printed on it.

To his disappointment, Wufei's attention was on the book in his hand as he sat down at the end of the couch, placing a tea mug on the small table next to it.

Duo crawled up on the couch next to him, moving in close, purring for all he was worth. Wufei absently placed a hand on his head, scratching him behind the ear. It felt nice, but Duo needed more than that.

Eyes on his book, Wufei slowly lifted his mug, taking a sip of the dark liquid. Duo watched his throat swallow with great interest. Damn, he was horny, so unbelievably horny. Wufei licked a stray drop away from his bottom lip and a low whine pressed its way out of Duo.

Wufei looked up, giving him a questionable look. "Something wrong?"

Duo bit his tongue to stop anymore noises from escaping and instead he shook his head sharply.

Wufei seemed satisfied with that and went back to his reading, totally unconcerned that Duo was staring intensely at him.

Duo inched closer, one arm over the back of the couch, the other clutching the couch to stop it from grabbing what he needed. Wufei smelled really good and Duo took a deep breath through his nose. He leaned against Wufei's shoulder, looking down at the other boy. The urge to hump Wufei's leg grew and he could not stop his hands from reaching out, touching that tempting body in front of him.

Wufei blinked and turned his attention over to him. "Duo? Are you feeling alright?" He asked, sounding worried. Duo didn't respond, he was far too busy pawing Wufei's chest.

"You don't look so good, maybe you should lay down."

'Lay me down, fuck yes.' Duo let out a cooing whine, rubbing his face into his friend's stomach. His behind seemed to have a life of its own as it lifted up into the air.

Wufei frowned, placing the back of his hand against Duo's forehead. "You feel a bit hot."

'Hot as hell, so hot, too hot. Burning up.' The thought urged him on and he slipped a knee over Wufei's legs settling in his friend's lap.

Wufei frowned, brushing his bangs away from his face, "You are most likely coming down with something."

Duo blinked, looking down at the lap he was sitting on. 'Down? I can go down.' As soon as the thought slipped through his mind, he quickly dropped to the floor and reached towards his goal.

Wufei shrieked like a little girl.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Something is wrong with Maxwell, he's not responding." Wufei said, holding a tight grip around Duo's middle. "I'm taking him to Po."

"Maybe someone should drive you." Trowa remarked, eying the way Duo was trying to rub his entire body against Wufei while making loud, shrieking noises.

Wufei, who was doing his best to stop Duo from pulling his clothes off sighed. "That might be a good idea. I just called her, she's about three hour away… and I need both hands for this." He grunted as he managed to trap one of Duo's wandering hands with his elbow.

"I'll get the car running." Trowa replied as he got out of his chair and went for the stairs.

"You need anything else?" Quatre asked in a tight, worried voice.

"Is there anything to eat that we can take with us?"

"I'll take a look. You try to get Duo downstairs."

Half carrying, half dragging the dazed teen, Wufei managed to get them both down the stairs and over to the car that Trowa had gotten out of the garage.

The door was open and he pulled Duo along with him into the back seat. He landed on his back with something that he suspected to be a smiling lion poking him in the ass while Duo straddled his waist.

Duo purred happily, rubbing his entire body against him, hips humping sharply against his. "We really have to go over this personal space thing again." Wufei muttered unhappily as he tried to force his body not to respond. He didn't succeed very well.

"You alright back there?" Trowa asked calmly as he closed the back door and got back in front of the wheal. It might sound like he didn't care, but Wufei had spent enough time around the quiet pilot to tell that he was enjoying Wufei's discomfort.

"Fucking fantastic, now drive."

"Hn." Was all he said, followed what could only be a snicker.

Wufei ignored him as he tried to maneuver Duo up in a sitting position.

Duo really wasn't with him on that idea, preferring to sit on top of Wufei, rubbing his face against him.

They just needed to get to Sally. The woman might be annoying but she was a fantastic doctor. She would figure out what was wrong. Duo rocked his hip against Wufei's pulsing groin, making him bit back a whimper. This was going to be three very long hours.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Blasted woman!" Wufei roared. "Stop laughing and just tell me what's wrong!"

Sally waved her hand at him where she was bent over, laughing like she was dying from it. Wufei felt himself twitch in anger as he listened to the endless laughter.

A long while later when Wufei seemed to have run out of degrading words and Sally found her breath, the doctor went on. "There is nothing wrong… apart from the obvious." She snickered as she watched Duo rub his face against the back of Wufei's neck. He was standing on all four on top of the examination table and his ass had not gone down for a second from where it was sticking up into the air.

"My guess is that whoever did this little experiment has been mixing a bit too much among the genes he used, so basically, Duo's body can't decide if it's male or female. He's pretty much androgyny."

Wufei stared.

"So, since a part of Duo thinks that he's female, he's now in heat." She continued with an evil smile on her face.

Wufei's mouth dropped open.

"Congratulations, he wants to carry your kittens." She broke off in a wild giggle.

"This is not funny!" He protested, even if a part of him confessed that if this was happening to someone else, say Treize for example, he would have been laughing too.

He took a deep breath, letting Duo's purring calm him. "So is he going to be like this for long and why doesn't he understand us?"

"Oh he understands us just fine, he's just ignoring us." Sally said easily. "I don't know how long it will last, this really is a unique case, but my guess is that it should be over in a week or two. We should take a few blood samples to compare as time goes. We need to know if this will affect his chemical balance… or at least what's left of it." She turned to the nurse who had assisted her. "Maverick, take another sample from Mr Maxwell, please."

Wufei watched as the nervous looking nurse carefully led Duo over to the needles. Sally had already obtained several scratch marks the last time she took a blood sample and she looked quite happy to put that task in someone else's hands.

Duo, who had fought Sally every step on the way until Wufei took him in his lap, were now too occupied with feeling up the poor man with the needle. "Well, it's obvious that Duo has no interest in females right now." Sally tapped her finger against her chin in thought. "It's almost like he can smell the testosterone, it's really fascinating."

"He can't get pregnant, right?" Wufei questioned. The jab about kittens really was too terrifying to consider.

Sally snickered. "No, Duo is still physically male so that won't be a problem."

They both watched Duo rub himself against the male nurse who looked more than a little uncomfortable.

They looked at each other. They looked back at Duo who had turned around, now trying to push his ass up against Maverick's crouch.

"Let's make sure, just in case." Sally cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'll take a few x-rays."

Wufei nodded, "I'll hold him still."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"He's in heat? Fantastic, just what we need." Quatre muttered, hiding his face in his hands.

"Sally said that it should be over in a few days… or so." Wufei said calmly like Duo wasn't sitting in his lap and licking his temple.

"Maybe we should neuter him." Trowa said with a straight face.

Duo hissed in a clear threat, glaring at the other boy over Wufei's shoulder.

"He's not mission suitable. If he starts to become a liability we need to discuss another plan of action." Heero turned to Duo's pillow. "Wufei, you are in charge of this operation."

The boy sighed but didn't protest, he just tipped his head so that Duo's tongue could reach behind his ear. It was just easier that way.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo wasn't quite sure what was going on and he didn't feel like wasting any time on trying to figure it out. Besides, it was so hard to concentrate when it felt like his body had been hijacked by a horny demon, not to mention that there was so many noises and smells all around him.

But what he did know for sure was that Wufei smelled just as horny as he felt. It didn't take much brain function to come to an obvious solution to both their problems.

Duo silently sneaked up to the armchair where Wufei had collapsed and were tiredly rubbing his temples with his eyes closed. He leaned over the armrest, butting Wufei's cheek with his forehead as he purred as loud as he could. When Wufei just leaned back with a sigh, Duo started to slowly lick his way up Wufei's throat.

"Duo, give it up, stop that." Wufei put a hand up against his chest, pushing him away. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

Duo twisted past Wufei's arm, climbing up in the other boy's lap, straddling him. The smell sky rocked and Duo took a deep breath through his nose. So close, so close. Duo skimmed down the slightly struggling body until his knees hit the floor. Bending over, he forced his nose in between those closely kept legs. Wufei was protesting, pushing him to make him stop, but Duo ignored him. He licking the warm cloth, enjoying the feel of it, the smell that went to his head like an expensive drug.

He yowled angrily as pain suddenly radiated from the back of his neck. He glared angrily up at Wufei who had a few lose strands trapped between his fingers. He hissed, showing his displeasure.

"Stop." Wufei ordered.

Duo pouted angrily. He sure as hell didn't want to stop. He needed and Wufei wanted. So why was Wufei being so mean? It was ridiculous.

He decided to show his displeasure by jumping up in Wufei's lap again to bite his ear.

Wufei yelped in pain but Duo paid it no mind. He slipped off and with as much dignity as he could muster and went downstairs to steal some more of Wufei's socks.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei wondered just what he had done in his earlier life to deserve this. It must have been something really bad to result in this torture.

And it really was torture. What else could you call having the object of your desire throwing himself at you at every turn but you couldn't welcome it because he wasn't _really _interested in you? Then when you were noble and stopped him from doing something he didn't _really _want to do, you ended up with bite marks on your ear and a pissed of friend who you now had to apologize to for doing the right thing.

Maybe he had drowned a lot of kittens in his earlier life and this was their revenge?

Wufei slowly pushed the bedroom door open, eyes landing on the curled up boy on the bed. "I'm sorry okay?" He said with a sigh, stepping in to the room to close the door behind him.

Duo sent him an acid glare before turning his face away, clearly not forgiving him.

He would just have to keep trying then. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just shocked and you wouldn't listen when I said no." He tried to explain but Duo apparently didn't care for his reasoning, instead choosing to hiss angrily.

Wufei bit back a frustrated sigh. Damn, the things he did for this boy. Swallowing stiffly, Wufei went on. "I'm really sorry, please forgive me?" Wufei begged, feeling his pride twitch in pain from where it had nearly been beaten to death.

Duo didn't respond.

With a sigh, Wufei collapsed down on the other end of his bed, legs hanging over the edge. He closed his eyes and hopped that the kittens would forgive him soon because he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

The mattress dipped next to him, signaling that Duo was joining him. Slowly he reached out to pet his friend, holding his thumbs that Duo wouldn't scratch his arm up.

A deep, pleased rumble started up and Wufei sighed in relief. Thank god. Everything would be fine now, if he could just-

Wufei cut his own thoughts off with an annoyed grunt when he realized just what he was petting.

It was very disturbing to be petting your best friend one second and the next you have his ass more or less pressed up in your face.

"Duo, no." He grumbled, pushing Duo's behind away from his face.

Duo whined in disappointment, turning around to paw his chest.

"I said no."

Duo let out a long, cooing, almost begging sound as he bent down to rub his face against Wufei's groin.

"No." Wufei grabbed a hold of a pillow, whacking Duo in the head with it. "Bad kitty."

Duo hissed, releasing his claws and before Wufei could blink, the bed was covered in feathers. He sighed and dropped what was left of the pillow down on the floor. "I kind of walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Duo just gave him a smug, superior look.

Apparently, the kittens were sadists who weren't about to forgive him anytime soon.

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A/N Well that was it, thank you for reading and if you want to make me happy then please leave me a word about what you thought about the chapter. Pleeeeas?

Unfortunately I don't have time to answer my beloved reviews. I'm on my friends computer and she is starting to complain that there is nothing good on tv and she wants her computer back.


	11. Chapter 11

Attention: All pervs who want to read the smut should go to my profile page and follow the link there to the adult version of this chapter :D

This chapter is short because I cut out the sticky kitten sex.

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Chapter 11

_After a time, even the dog begins to compromise with the cat - unknown. _

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Two days later, things had gotten a lot worse. Duo felt like he was about to lose his mind. It was just too much. The need was too strong, the urges, the smell of Wufei's arousal. Too much, too much, too much.

Duo whimpered, squirming against Wufei's hold. Normally he would have loved to have Wufei wrapped all around him, but not like this, not to restrain him.

"It's okay Duo, you'll be okay." Wufei tried to comfort him without for a second letting go of his wrists. His arms and legs were pressed down against the bed and no matter how much he writhed, Wufei wouldn't let go. Flat on his back he couldn't do much but arch his hip and turn his head.

"How is he?" A voice asked carefully from over by the door.

Duo could smell Quatre and he hissed angrily, warning the blond to get any closer to his territory.

Wufei stroke a calming finger down his wrist. "Bad." He answered shortly. "Could you heat up the rice bag I used for my shoulder? It's on the nightstand." He said, flicking head to the side.

Quatre moved closer, making Duo hiss harshly.

Wufei tightened his hold around him as Quatre faltered. "I've got him, just take it quickly and leave."

The blond moved quickly grabbed the bag, flinching as a claw graced hand twisted free and shot out towards him. Hurrying away, Quatre closed the door behind him with a look of sympathy in his eyes.

"Duo." No responds. "Duo, I know you can hear me." Wufei said patiently as he wrestled Duo's hand back down.

Duo pulled his lips back, exposing his teeth as he let his displeasure be heard.

"Don't you hiss at me, you know I can't stand it."

Duo glance up at his Wufei who stared right back at him.

Duo's ears dropped. He didn't mean to make His upset, he just NEEDED and he wasn't happy that His wouldn't give it to him.

The need was growing stronger. Duo couldn't think, couldn't focus on anything but the NEED. He let out a long, loud whine that begged his Wufei to stop resisting as he humping his hard cock against Wufei's thigh.

"Shh." Wufei comforted softly.

He mewled pathetically, pawing whatever part of Wufei he could reach, which wasn't much.

"Thanks Winner." Wufei mumbled

Duo turned his head sharply against the intruder but Quatre was already on his way towards the door. He hadn't even noticed that the blond was there, too overwhelmed by the need.

Wufei took a tight grip around him, rolling them over and Duo yowled in anger, twisting and fighting to get lose.

Wufei started to work his way around him, holding him down, climbing on top of him from behind. His hands had a tight grip on his waist that was sliding down towards his hip. Duo immediately stopped struggling, widening his legs as he pushed his ass up against his Wufei. This was it, this is what he needed. He wasn't sure what 'it' was but something told him that it was close. Breathless in anticipation he waited… and waited.

He whined in disappointment when His didn't make any move to give him what he desperately needed. Wufei was hard, he could feel it, smell it, but for some frustrating reason he wouldn't give in. He just fumbled with something, ignoring Duo's need.

"Lie down." Wufei told him, pressing his hip downwards.

Duo whined in protest, wiggling his ass against the bump behind him.

Wufei sighed. "You're really not making this easy for me."

Duo mewled pathetically, trying to get some mercy out of the other boy.

"Keep your tail still, I don't want to hurt you." Wufei mumbled as he putting his weight on his back, forcing him down on his front. Duo startled as something warm came in contact with his stomach. Duo struggled. This wasn't what he needed.

"It will help, just relax." Wufei told him calmly, cradling him against his chest.

The bag was hot, warming him pleasantly. It didn't make the need go away but it numbed it slightly.

He took a deep breath, smelling his Wufei all over himself.

"Just relax, everything will be fine." Wufei mumbled, stroking Duo's hair.

Duo tried to lift his throbbing arousal off the mattress to grind his ass up against Wufei, barely succeeding with the other's weight holding him down.

He kept trying until he grow tired of all the fighting and dosed off in Wufei's arms.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo was pissed. He didn't know why Wufei wouldn't give him what he needed and at the moment he didn't really care.

He had never been this horny in his life. Jerking off barely helped, it just made the need for _sex_, real sex, stronger.

He knew that Wufei wanted him, he could fucking _taste it_ _in the air_ whenever he came even close to him. So why was Wufei being such a bastard?

The need inside of him wouldn't let him rest. It burned and rolled, stealing all his concentration. He needed it, by god, did he need it. Why didn't Wufei understand?

Duo growled quietly to himself in frustration as he rolled over on the floor, angrily scratching it with his claws. It was not fair! He needed it, Wufei wanted to give it but something was standing in the way.

He had begged, fucking _begged_ and still Wufei had ignored his need. Heartlessly he had turned away with weak excuses and degrading words about how he wasn't in his right mind, treating him like a brainless child. Duo was not pleased.

Wufei walked around all day, more or less rubbing his interest and arousal in his face, and then when Duo responded, he just denied him. It was the worst kind of tease and Duo wasn't going to stand for it anymore!

If Wufei wasn't going to give him what he needed, he was going to take it.

He rolled over on his front, stretching out before jumping to his feet. No more Mr. Nice guy, the kiddy gloves were coming off. You better watch yourself Chang Wufei, because you are the pray and the predator is coming for you.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next morning, Wufei woke up to purring. He smiled sleepily, hand struggling out from beneath the duvet to pet his friend. And up went Duo's ass.

Wufei sighed into the pillow. "No."

Duo pushed his face into the back of his neck, crooning softly with his ass still high in the air.

"No." Wufei grumbled, pulling the cover over his head, hiding his face in the pillow.

The bed rolled as Duo laid down on top of him and Wufei shivered when he felt Duo's hard cock press against his ass.

"No, go take care of it in the shower or something." He said, too desperate to feel any shame for the begging tone in his voice.

Duo made a low keening sound, as if asking Wufei to please see things his way as he softly humped his ass.

Wufei gripped his sheets tightly, breathing heavily through his arousal. God, why was this happening to him? Couldn't Duo have gotten this strange fascination with Quatre instead, or why not Trowa? That smug bastard was having far too much fun on his expense and deserved some humiliation.

"I'm not here, go away." He mumbled childishly.

Duo just kept on pawning him through the duvet, grinding his cock against him as the loud begging noise went on and on.

Wufei couldn't help but gasp, arousal spiking inside of him. God, he really was a sick bastard for getting turned on by this.

Duo just kept humping, making Wufei's just as hard cock rub teasingly against the mattress.

He halfheartedly tried to get free and to push Duo away from him. Duo responded with a hiss as he placed his hands against the small of his back, holding him down. Wufei gasped brokenly as he suddenly felt teeth grip the back of his neck, biting down tightly. Duo held his neck in a punishing hard grip as he steadily humped him from behind.

Wufei panted helplessly feeling incapable of doing anything but staying still and praying that he wouldn't come in his pants.

What felt like hours later, Wufei shuddered at the sound of Duo's completion.

Duo tumbled down on top of him, purring contently. The vibration did nothing to help his situation. Wufei shivered as Duo lapped his tended neck with his rough tongue, sending spikes of pleasure through his body. The room stank heavily of semen.

Wufei came to the conclusion that those kittens deserved everything they got for putting him through this.

He tortured himself by staying there until Duo fell asleep. Then he very gently carefully out from underneath his friend and went to lock himself in the bathroom, giving himself a much needed jerk off.

Fucking sadistic kittens.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After the mornings somewhat successful encounter, Duo decided to step it up. It was time for the real deal.

The first thing you need to do to catch your prey was to attack when it was least expecting it. Duo therefore sneaked into Wufei's bedroom while the other boy was in the shower and hid under the bed. Patiently he waited.

A while later he heard the shower stop and a minute later, Wufei walked into the room, locking the door behind him. Duo grinned as his prey closed himself in.

Wufei's bare feet walked past him towards the dresser. His was opening drawer after drawer, muttering about his sudden lack of socks.

Duo tensed, ready for attack as the towel dropped to the floor. This was it. He was going to make sure that Wufei couldn't slip away from him with bad excuses, he was going to force Wufei to see reason. If nothing else he would learn that you did not tease Duo Maxwell without retribution. And that was what Wufei had been doing. Teasing him with a smell that said 'come here, this is what you need' only to turn him away when he tried. An angry growl was bit back at the thought of it. Wufei was going to pay for being such a heartless tease.

But then he suddenly realized that if he spent any more time thinking about it, he was going to miss his chance. Wufei had already stepped into his underwear and were pulling them up over his knees, moving upwards. Duo leaped out from under the bed, slamming into the other boy's back.

Wufei landed in a roll, trying to overpower him. Duo growled, he wasn't going to let that happened and with a lot of effort, not to mention luck, he wrestled Wufei down on his stomach with one arm bent painfully behind his back.

By the sound of his friends protests, he wasn't very pleased with him but Duo didn't care as he pushed down against Wufei's naked back.

He reached for the soft boxers, clumsily trying to pull them down without letting go of his prey. He failed as Wufei took the opportunity to rip his arm free, grabbing a hold of Duo's hand, bending it backwards until he whimpered in pain and released his grip.

"Duo! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Wufei shouted, sounding more shocked then angry as he held him trapped against the floor.

Duo spat out an angry hiss, twisting around for another attack. Trying to get a good grip on his prey, Duo fought viciously for the upper hand. He buckled up against Wufei, rubbing his hard cock against the hard thigh he found there.

Wufei was blushing, stuttering as he tried to talk him out of his advance but Duo wouldn't listen. This was all Wufei's fault, he was the one being stubborn, who wouldn't give in even when it was obvious that he wanted to.

Wufei's own erection was pressed up against him, smelling so good. Releasing his claws, Duo easily shredded the elastic edge of Wufei's white underwear, ripping them off. Wufei was protesting loudly but Duo paid him no mind. Using his knees he managed to roll them over. Holding the struggling body down, he was finally going to satisfy his need.

The need was like a burning fire, like a consuming force that pulled him where it wanted him, but for a second, Duo was confused. As his hand came in contact with Wufei's dick, he had a moment of clarity where he wondered just what he was supposed to do now.

Duo wasn't a virgin by a long shot, but for some reason he couldn't remember what he was supposed to do now. The word "pussy" flashed past him, making his foggy confusion even worse. Wufei didn't have a pussy, so what was he supposed to do then?

Unfortunately he wasn't given the time to figure it out as Wufei raised his upper body from the floor and head butting him straight in the face. Duo yowled in pain, releasing his catch as he cradled his breeding nose.

Duo glared at the escaping boy as the blood fell like a river between his fingers. He was not giving up that easily.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei nervously looked over his shoulder. Anywhere and at anytime, Duo could jump out and try to over power him.

That morning Duo had even jumped out from a window on the second floor in a flying attack, leaping on top of Wufei when he was doing his katas. He had barely managed to escape.

Duo was cornering him at every chance he got, making Wufei feel like an antelope being hunted by a lion.

He didn't know why Duo was so steadily focused on him when there were three other males in the house. He had ventilated his frustration to Quatre who had looked more and more uncomfortable by the second until he made up a bad excuse and hurried away. In fact, none of the pilots seemed interested in helping him, choosing instead to avoid Duo as much as possible. Wufei didn't blame them, he would have done the same if he could, but for some reason Duo always seemed to find him.

At first Duo had simply been annoying. The noises he let out made you want to cut his tongue off and the ass in the air was very disturbing but he supposed that it had been bearable. Now on the other hand, Duo had changes his approach and had turned straight out aggressive. That was a lot harder to ignore. Wufei didn't know how much more of this he was going to be able to take without ether killing Duo or fucking his brain out.

Then if the days weren't frustrating enough, Duo had now started to invade his dreams as well.

Duo, arching under him, showing off just how limper he had become. Presenting himself before Wufei. That soft, furry ass up and waiting for him. Claws digging into the mattress, eyes glowing in the dark, soft tail twitching in anticipation. A tight, velvet collar around his throat with Wufei's name and address on it.

He took a deep breath as hurried up the stairs, trying but failing to calm down. Damn, he was turning into such a kinky bastard.

He really needed to let off some steam, unfortunately that was a bit difficult to do since Duo wouldn't even let him jerk off in peace. It was hard to concentrate on getting off when there was someone making strange, shrieking noises outside the door while scratching it like a locked out puppy.

But luck was for once shinning down on him since he had just seen Duo closely following a slightly panicking looking Quatre around outside and Wufei was now going to take the opportunity to work off his frustration.

Wufei quickly searched through his bedroom just in case before locking the door and putting a chair under the door handle. He didn't know how well Duo's lock picking abilities worked right now but he wasn't taking any chances.

Tiredly shuffling over to his bed Wufei fell down on it with an arm over his eyes. God, it would be so easy to give in. To let Duo catch up to him, close the door behind them and push him down on the bed. To just pull those bulgy sweatpants down and give Duo what he was begging for.

Wufei breathed heavily through his nose as he worked his hand in under the edge of his pants, working his hand up and down, fantasies of Duo dancing in front of his eyes.

He hoped those kittens burned in hell for this.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Something has to be done." Heero said gruffly as he sat down at the table. "This has gone on long enough." His arms were covered in bleeding scratches, but that's what happened when you volunteered to imprison Duo in the bathroom.

Quatre lazed his fingers together, laying his arms down on the table with a serious look on his face. "Right, either someone sleeps with him or we are going to have to lock him up somewhere until this is over." As if to prove his point, Duo's desperate cry echoed down the stairs.

Everyone looked over at Wufei who blushed like mad.

"No, absolutely not." He protested, trying not to sound as embarrassed as he felt.

"Look, Chang." Heero said in his 'no nonsense, this is our mission status' tone. "Ether he gets this out of his system or we remove him from us. Because right now he's a liability. We can't sleep properly, we can't plan our missions and he's unpredictable to the point where he could be a danger. It's pure luck that we have managed to keep this from the doctors as long as we have." It was obvious that lying to a superior was something that Heero didn't approve of, but he made no further comment on it. "You are the one he's focused his attention on." Heero leaned back in his chair with a small, stiff smile on his face. "And I might not be an expert on the subject but out of all of us, you are the one who has the least against getting Duo through this."

Wufei grimaced. Clearly, what he meant was that since he was the only gay one, he wouldn't mind sleeping with another guy. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"In that case we need to find a secure location to keep him isolated until this is over."

Wufei imagined Duo's reaction to being locked up alone after everything he had been through. Hell, he felt bad enough about locking Duo in for half an hour while they were having this meeting, never mind a couple of days or even weeks. He knew how much his friend would hate it, how scared and abandoned he would feel. They couldn't do that to him. But on the other hand, he didn't know if the alternative would be much better.

How would Duo feel when he came out off this and realized how Wufei had used his body while he had been too gone to defend himself or to even protest?

Duo wasn't there anymore, he barely understood him when he talked to him. He couldn't think clearly and he couldn't give his approval or tell him no. It would be his decision and he would be the one to bare the shame and the stain on his soul when it was all over. He would be the one to rape his best friend.

He took a deep, shaky breath and signed a deal with the devil. "Fine, I'll do it."

The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo happily pounded on his Wufei as he came through the door. He was more then happy that he was going to be let out of the damn bathroom and near ecstatic to see Wufei who smelled oh so inviting. Eagerly he tried to rub his entire body all over the other boy. And for once, Wufei didn't protest. Deciding to make the most of it, Duo humped his hard dick against Wufei's hip, hoping that he would show some mercy.

He whined in disappointment when Wufei took a step back. Then a sweaty, slightly shaky hand grabbed a hold of one of his and started dragging him towards Wufei's bedroom. Duo wasn't pleased with being manhandled but allowed it since it gave him the chance to touch Wufei freely. The smell was strong and good, urging him on. He pushed his hand in under the blue t-shirt, stroking the warm, soft skin he found there.

He was thrilled that as soon as they entered the bedroom, Wufei pulled the t-shirt over his head instead of fighting him like he usually did. He barely heard the door close behind them, too distracted with all the possibilities presented before him. The need was burning hot inside of him, rising like fume up into his head. It was hard to focus on anything but the need, the smell and the feel of Wufei's skin under his hands. Not that it mattered, nothing else mattered but this. He rubbed his face against Wufei's throat, purring happily as he clung to the other boy, trying to get as close as possible. Duo licked all the bared skin, tasting _the smell_ and the sweat. It was good, so good.

He let out a happy mewl as Wufei let him push down his baggy, white pants. He rubbed himself against the naked body, getting the smell all over himself. Oh, it was glorious.

Then Wufei started to respond, wrapping his arms around him and touched him back, removing his clothes as well. Duo purred happily, rubbing his chest against Wufei's. Then Wufei took his hand again, guiding him over to the bed and Duo followed easily. He ended up on his knees, ass in the air with his tail rolling like an angry snake behind him. He tried to twist around to get his hands on that body but Wufei held him down.

He felt his Wufei settle in behind him and the sound of a plastic bottle being opened was heard.

The warm body leaned over him, covering him. "Please down hate me after this." Wufei whispered against his ear.

Duo purred happily, unconcerned about anything but his need.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Why didn't it work? Shouldn't he be back to normal?" Wufei groaned, hiding his head in his hands. "If anything, he got even worse than before." He hadn't thought that it was possible to have that much sex in one go. He had hardly gotten a wink of sleep as he had spent all night being woken up by a purring Duo who's ass was in the air again. Over and over again.

"Maybe it needs to be a girl?" Quatre suggested as he thoughtfully tapped a finger against his coffee mug. Wufei was far too embarrassed to tell him that the things Duo wanted to be done couldn't be done by a girl.

"Cats go into heat because they want to get pregnant, correct?" Heero the logical spoke up. "Since that isn't an option, perhaps it goes on until its mission is successful."

If that were the case, Wufei didn't know if he would be able to handle it. Because not only didn't he have the stamina to keep up, he was already missing Duo like crazy. His friend hadn't said a single word since the whole thing started, leaving him more than a little worried. A Duo who didn't respond when you spoke to him was against nature and all things that made sense in Wufei's world.

"He can't get pregnant… right?" Quatre asked awkwardly, looking like he couldn't believe that those words had just left his mouth.

Wufei ignored Trowa's snickering as he shock his head. "No, that won't be a problem." He said at the same time as he sent a thought of gratitude to Sally for making sure that Duo really couldn't get pregnant because if that happened then Duo would definitely kill him.

Quatre nodded. "Good, well I think we can dismiss Heero's theory anyway since if that were the case, there would be crazy cats running around all over the place all the time."

"Maybe we should put him on the pill." Trowa suggested with a barely suppressed smirk, making Wufei glare at the unappreciated humor.

"Most likely the whole thing just has the run its course." Heero concluded.

Then, without warning a naked Duo just about flew down the stairs, pounding on Wufei who didn't have time to brace himself before the both of them went tumbling to the floor. "Duo!" Wufei protested angrily as the other boy started pulling at his pants.

"Oookay, I think this where I leave." Quatre got out off his chair, eyes focused up at the ceiling.

Trowa was already half way up the stairs while Heero was packing up his computer.

Wufei was trying to fight off the wandering hands but without much success. "A little help would be nice." Wufei complained as he tried to pull his pants back over his hip. The other pilots didn't respond, leaving him to fend for himself. "Cowards!" He shouted accusingly.

"We all know you like it." Trowa called back smugly like the bastard he was.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

This was a nightmare Wufei decided as his latest orgasm ebbed out, leaving him panting and shaking. He lay down on his back next to the warm, purring body on the bed. Lifting a shaky hand, he stroked the sweat away from his brows. He was exhausted, wrung out both physically and emotionally in ways he had not believed were possible.

He couldn't deny that he was attracted to Duo, hell who wouldn't be, but the little problem was that he knew Duo didn't return that attraction.

It was a hard pill to swallow.

So he had one of the most attractive males he had ever seen, begging him to fuck him over and over again, but unfortunately, it was all an illusion.

The first round he had tried not to think about what he was doing, pretending that the responsive body underneath him was anyone but his best friend. The night had seemed endless but he had focused on that after this, it would all be over. It would be just another sick fantasy in his mind. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The second time around was harder when Duo was ridding his lap like possessed, biting him, licking his face while making the most arousing noises that Wufei had ever heard.

The third, the fourth, the fifth- how many times was it now?- was impossible to deny that he was getting off on having sex with _Duo,_ not just anyone.

The sex was beyond wild. Duo's claws piercing his skin, sharp teeth digging in to his neck. It would be a wonder if he made it out off this without looking like a scratch board. Wufei had considered himself to be pretty sexually experienced before, but he was starting to reconsider that thought. Having sex with Duo just brought the experience to a whole new level that he had never even been close to before. He had thought he knew what sex was, but now it felt like nothing but a fumble in the dark. Sex with Duo was raw and animalistic, like they were both wild animals, fighting for the upper hand. He had tried to be careful, not wanting to hurt Duo more then he already was, but that didn't work for long. He had to work hard to keep up with Duo. It scared him just how intense they were together. Sometimes it felt more like a fight then sex. Duo was biting, clawing at him like he was trying to get away at the same time as he was urging Wufei on. In turn, Wufei had to be just a rough to defend himself and… because… he liked it. He liked how he didn't have to be careful or romantic, he liked how almost every round felt like a battle. He liked it, at the same time as it scared him witless.

But what scared him more than anything was how he was going to explain it to Duo when he came out of this.

The act itself could be written off as simply trying to help, but how he was going to explain all the kisses, the cuddling, all the sex that Wufei himself had insinuated and the damage he had done?

It was easy to forget that Duo wasn't really behind those burning, expressive eyes. The light was on but there was no one home, so to say. Or that wasn't right ether. Duo wasn't all gone, he could understand him when he was talking to him, but something fundamentally -Duo- wasn't there.

He looked down. Duo was purring happily, innocently rubbing his face against Wufei's hip, licking away stray drops of spunk like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Wufei closed his eyes to the sight. He wondered if it would be too much to hope for that Duo would forget everything about what had happened. Yeah, like the universe ever worked in his advantage.

He tried to think of a way to explain it to his friend. For some reason, the answer, "I take what I can get" didn't seem like the smartest thing to say.

Duo was playfully nibbling his hipbone, mewling softly like he wanted Wufei to play with him.

He lifted a hand to stroke down his friend's back but Duo rolled over, swatting his hand. Then, like if he was catching a fly, Duo trapped his hand, bringing it down to bit his fingers softly. Wufei looked down at Duo's smiling eyes where he was lying at his side. "Having fun?" He chuckled, wiggling his trapped his fingers. Duo just smiled, lapping his fingertips.

Wufei rolled over on his side, scooting down until he was height with him. "So you caught me, what are you going to do now kitten?" Duo growled, biting down hard. "Ow-ow-ow." Wufei protested, laughing as he tried to pull his fingers back. "Okay, not a kitten then."

Duo lessened the pressure, sucking his finger in comfort.

"So you're not a kitten, a tiger maybe?"

Duo released his fingers, lapping them with wide, long strokes.

He fingered Duo's bangs with his free hand. "Naw, a tiger isn't really your style, a jaguar maybe? All black and sleek."

Duo purred, moving his head up into the movement of his hand, eyes closed in pleasure.

Wufei felt selfish for enjoying this and the fear lingered, but he still fell asleep with a smile to the sound of purring.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm really sorry but I don't have time to respond to all of you. I'm in the middle of moving and I have far too much to do today. This also means that it will probably take a while until the next update. Sorry! But if you ever wonder when something is going to be updated then take a look at my profile page that I update very regularly... or just PM me directly, that worked too :)

But happy news for those who has been waiting for Normal People's sequel (I can't believe it's been 2 years! Sorry!). When I'm done with this I will be sending the first chapter to my beta reader. So, very soon you will finally find out what happened the next day :D


	12. Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

_For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a cat. –unknown._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei woke up to the sound of purring. He breathed out a sigh in relief that Duo's ass wasn't in the air, for once. Everything was calm and Duo didn't stir when he absently started stroking a hand over his head. The sun was shining in over the bed, making it just a bit too warm. Especially if you had someone sleeping on your back.

He tried to push Duo off but only managed to roll over on his back while Duo clung like a letch. He decided not to bother trying again, he would survive the heat.

He glanced towards the window. It was a nice day and he figured that he should take his friend out to play, maybe he could get the worst of the energy out of his system.

With a yawn he stretched out as much as he could under the weight on top of him before tugging gently at one of the big ears. "Time to wake up kitten."

Blurry eyes opened just enough to glare at him.

Wufei snickered, running a finger up and down the edge of the ear, making it twitch. "Come on now, no missions or rain today. Let's go."

Duo mewled pathetically as he halfheartedly tried to get up on his knees, a move that Wufei had seen far too many times lately. Maybe it had been too many times for Duo too because the move felt more like a reflex then one made out of passion.

Not really in the mood to have sex Wufei pulled Duo's boxers down, tipped him over and wrapped his lips around his cock. You really could have too much sex, to a point where just thinking about it made you want to hide. He hadn't believed it was possible but it was. Wufei had been having so much sex the last two weeks that he was more than a little feed up with the whole thing.

For once Duo seemed to be satisfied with just a blowjob and stayed where he was as Wufei worked him over. When he was done, Wufei dived out of the way to avoid Duo's claws as his friend did his usual 'after orgasm wiggle'. He didn't stay around to wait for the cuddle part to begin, choosing instead to go downstairs to find them something to eat. A few minutes later he snickered evilly as he heard Quatre's slightly panicking protests and desperate begging to 'get off me!' Wufei could only assume that Duo had taken his need to cuddle out on the first available person, without putting some clothes on first.

After breakfast Wufei got Duo dressed and took the remote controlled ball with him outside. As usual it took a while to get Duo to focus on something other than his cock but soon enough he was racing across the un-kept lawn like everything was as it was supposed to be.

Wufei sat on top of the slightly unsteady roof of the gazebo, watching Duo run effortlessly after the ball. He was catching it a lot more often than before and Wufei decided that he should try to figure out how to make it faster so that it would be more of a challenge. A bored Duo was a dangerous Duo.

They played for about two hours before Wufei forced his friend to take a break. It was hot in the sunshine so they took a rest on the floor of the gazebo, cooling off in the shade.

Wufei laid on his back, with his legs crossed and fingers lazed together on his stomach. Duo was curled up next to him with his head on his shoulder. Everything was calm and pleasant; the distant sound of crickets was all that could be heard.

Wufei glanced over at his friend. Duo's pants had started to slide down, courtesy of the moving tail, showing off the top of a pair of full buttocks. Soft white hair peeked out and Wufei lazily reached out to pet it. The tail curled under the attention, sweeping over the back of his hand as he stroke that lovely ass.

With a chirping sound, Duo widened his legs as he raised his ass up into the air in invitation, clearly wanting nothing more than to be mounted and penetrated.

There was a reason why Wufei had started carrying lube with him everywhere he went.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They spent the rest of the day playing, resting and eating until the sun started to go down over the trees.

Sitting on the couch with Duo curled up next to him with his head in his lap; Wufei relaxed and read his book. It had been a good day, one that he hoped that they would see more off. It was easy to forget that there was a war out there. That people were dying and being suppressed right this second when the world felt like a perfect place to him.

It was getting late and with a yawn Wufei put his book away. "Come on now, let's go to bed." Wufei said giving Duo a playful push towards the rumbled mess that was his bed.

"Wuuuuu." Duo protested, backing away from him.

Wufei blinked in surprise, this was the first thing Duo had said since he had gone into heat. "Yes?" He asked faintly, hand reaching out to close around Duo's forearm as if afraid that he would disappear.

"No." Duo grumbled, pulling against his hold.

Horror raced through Wufei. Oh shit.

Duo was coming back and he obviously was becoming aware of just what had been going on while he was gone.

Wufei closed his eyes as a storm of emotions rushed over him, leaving him cold and breathless. Maybe he should just get out of here before Duo killed him. He knew firsthand what Duo could do with those claws, he could only imagine what kind of damage he could do if he really wanted to hurt someone.

But he was not raised to be a coward

"We are just going to get some sleep, nothing else." Wufei's chest hurt and he wondered if he was too young to have a heart attack. "Please?"

Duo grumbled but let himself be led over to the bed where he curled up next to Wufei, instead of on top of him like he had done for the last couple of weeks.

The pain spread to his stomach. Maybe he wasn't having a heart attack, maybe he was having a panic attack. Wufei took a gulp of air. Yeah, that made sense because he sure as hell had a few reasons to panic; their sleeping arrangement just being one of them.

He wondered if he should go sleep in Duo's room instead, that would be the intelligent thing to do. That way he could just say that everything he had done was to help Duo and when he didn't need him anymore, he stopped.

But he didn't want to lose what might be the last chance he had to be this close to Duo.

At least Duo started purring as Wufei reached out over the empty space between them to rub him behind his ears. That was always something.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next morning, Wufei didn't wake up to the sound of purring, because Duo was gone.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei was insanely happy to see Duo sitting up at the kitchen table, calmly eating cereals like he would never even think about lapping tuna from a plate.

It was time for damage control.

"Good morning." He said carefully, keeping an eye on Duo for his reaction. There was none.

Instead it was Heero who answered his greeting

There were several newspapers on the table and Duo appeared to be reading up on what he had missed during his absence.

Wufei pulled the chair out next to his friend and served himself some of the sugary cereals. He felt like he was going to need something uplifting.

The mood was thick in the kitchen and the only sound was from Duo flipping the pages of his newspaper.

Wufei didn't really know what to say but he assumed that they were going to save the actual confrontation until they were alone. He stayed quiet and waited.

"How did it go for Relena at the L4 meeting?" Duo asked, tapping his finger against a photo of the pacifist.

Wufei smiled slightly at the picture of a determined Relena who was standing in the middle of a crowed of L4's most powerful men. Maybe there was hope for a peaceful solution after all. "She managed pretty good, there are still people who don't believe that-"

"Heero, you were there right?"Duo carelessly cut him off like he hadn't heard a word he said.

Heero glanced over at Wufei's now slumping shape. "Yes, she made a successful speech but there are still people who believe that it can't be done."

Duo snorted as he flipped the paper closed with a slap. "Yeah, people believe the strangest things, even when they should know better."

Wufei flinched like he had been slapped.

Heero was looking from Duo to Wufei and back again. "Yes… but she should be able to convince them that a pacifistic solution is possible."

Duo sneered. "Don't hold your breath, some people are just so convinced that they are right that they don't care who they hurt in the process." With that he left the table and went down the stairs. The silence was deafening.

Heero stared after him for moment before turning back to Wufei. "Was he trying to imply something?"

Wufei sighed shakily, "Yes Heero, he was."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

If Wufei had thought that he had been ignored the last time Duo had been angry with him, he quickly found out that it was nothing compared to now. Wufei might as well have been a ghost.

Duo wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't as much as look at him no matter how much he tried. As soon as he entered a room, Duo casually, seemingly innocently left it without even glancing his way. He would talk and laugh to the rest of the pilots while treating Wufei like air.

Wufei tried to explain his reasoning, tried to tone down his own enjoyment, tried to beg for forgiveness. He tried excuses, accepting full responsibility and everything in between.

Duo looked straight through him and walked away.

Wufei wished that Duo would scratch him, glare at him, trash his room, steal his socks, anything! The cold treatment was slowly killing him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo found it easier to accept everything that had happened if he separated himself from the cat part. The cat part was the part of him that didn't belong there. It was the infection, the parasite that was trying to take over his body.

The cat part was all the instincts, the unexplainable urges and almost everything that had to do with Wufei.

Duo had been playing along with the parasite for too long but this time it had gone too far.

He could accept all the small quirks like mouse hunting, claws, tree climbing and even the hairy back but he was not getting fucked up the ass by his best friend.

Cat logic and human logic just could not agree on this point.

The cat didn't see the problem, it just saw the petting, the sex and the food and thought 'nice' while the human saw a whole lot more.

Duo remembered everything that had happened. Everything.

Duo remembered begging for it, demanding it, taking it. He couldn't believe that he had sunken that low. He was unbelievably ashamed over what had happened at the same time as he was beyond angry at Wufei for giving in. Wufei had known that he was being influenced by the parasite and he had still done it.

He remembered Wufei pushing him down, trapping him, taking him hard as he tried to… fight him off? Urge him on? He wasn't sure anymore, he just remembered the confusion and the need. The pain, the helplessness and the way Wufei would fight him ruthlessly until he submitted.

But he also remembered feeling happy and safe as Wufei spent hour after hour just petting him. Talking to him, teasing and taking care of him. All the things he had taken for granted before. Wufei had been his safe haven, his rock in the middle of the hurricane that was his fucked up life. No matter what happened and what strange new things were going on with his body, Wufei was always there to support him.

Now Wufei was the one who brought him the most pain.

Duo hissed sharply to himself, digging his claws into the wallpaper. How could he do this to him? Wufei knew better, or at least Duo though that he should have. Duo had a parasite in his head, what was Wufei's excuse? He didn't know how to handle it. Just looking at Wufei felt like he was being betrayed all over again. Wufei had raped him just as much as the parasite had.

He felt dirty, betrayed and cheep. Everything that he had done and had been done to him was rushing through his mind.

It only made things worse, that every time he came close to Wufei and caught his scent, something inside of him leaped in joy, wanting him to wrap himself around the other boy and never let go.

It made him angry, unbelievably so. He had not chosen for this to happen, Wufei had taken that decision out of his hands.

Wufei should have known better! He knew that Duo wasn't really interested, that he couldn't control what was going on. He had sided with the parasite, deciding that its whims were more important than Duo.

But a part of him didn't want to be angry, especially not with Wufei, while another part wanted to rage against the unfairness and the dignity-integrity-pride that Wufei had taken away from him.

But the torture didn't stop there. No.

The parasite made him wake up in the middle of the night with wrinkled sheets, his groin pulsing in time with his panting as he dreamed about all the things that Wufei had done to him. That he kept waking up, expecting not to be alone didn't help ether. His own body was betraying him, his own mind and senses were trying to trick him.

But Duo wasn't going to let himself be controlled.

He didn't know if he would ever be able to forgive Wufei for this.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Steepling his fingers under his chin, Wufei sighed as he stared at the wall.

Wufei just wanted Duo to slice his face up and get it over with. This waiting game where Duo pretended that he wasn't there was quickly wearing him down.

Duo was happily chatting away with Quatre, ignoring Wufei's existence on the other side of the table.

Wufei was so tired. He had hardly been able to sleep a wink since Duo stopped sleeping in his bed. It felt like he had forgotten how to be alone. He felt truly pathetic because he was craving a warm body in his lap like the air he breathed.

Trowa was observing it all in obvious amusement from the head of the table. Wufei couldn't even collect enough energy to glare at him.

He didn't have much energy for anything.

If he thought it would work he would have asked Duo what kind of knife he preferred to castrate him with and just taken his punishment.

Thank god he had a mission today; he needed a break before he did the job for Duo

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo breathed out sigh in relief when he heard Wufei announce his departure on the floor bellow.

"So how long are you planning on ignoring Chang?" Heero asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

Duo turned away, absently plucking a few strands off his tail.

Heero observed him in silence for a moment. "The decision was one made by all of us, do not place all the blame on Chang simply for following orders."

Duo stiffened, feeling the hair on his back rise as he let out a low threatening hiss, warning his friend that he was stepping out of line.

Heero didn't appear to care as he kept staring at him. "You are not normally this unreasonable."

Duo glared, showing off his teeth with another hiss, a sharper more threatening one.

"Speak up!" Heero barked, startling him into full body twitch, "Chang might have the patience to put up with all your noises but I for one do not."

"This coming from a guy who thinks 'hn' is a word." Duo shot back angrily, curling up against the headboard, his ears sharply focused on the perfect soldier.

Heero smirked like he was pleased with himself, making Duo glare even harder.

"Grow up and act like the soldier you are. Some actions had to be made to secure the safety of the team, there is no room for personal feelings in a war." With that, the perfect soldier turned on his heel and left.

Duo waited until he could hear Heero enter his own bedroom, before getting to his feet. Without making a sound he crawled in under the bed, all the way into the corner. There he made himself comfortable on top of the lumpy pile of socks he had collected. Some of them hadn't been washed and smelled like it's owner. Duo closed his eyes and circled himself with his tail.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Well back from his mission, Wufei had made clear that he needed someone to talk to and Quatre responded just as clearly that he needed to be drunk first or he would not survive. Wufei went and found him a large bottle of vodka and Quatre manage to locate a couple of bottles of vine.

"I thought Muslims didn't drink." Wufei said as he watched Quatre tip another shot down his throat. He was given the finger by a somewhat heavy hand.

"Muslims aren't supposed to give gay friends relationship advice so shut the fuck up."

Wufei noted that Quatre was a lot less charming and polite when drunk. The blond really should stay away from alcohol, the effect didn't become him. But Wufei needed someone to talk to who wouldn't smirk or look at him blankly so this appeared to be the only option.

"I think I'm drunk enough now." Quatre announced a while later, putting his glass down. "Come on, give me your best shot." He made a motion with his hands like he was beckoning an opponent to come at him.

It was a bit disturbing that Quatre was treating this talk like a battle to death.

Wufei sighed, looking up at the water damaged ceiling. "I don't know what to do. I've tried to apologize but he won't listen, I've tried to explain and I've even tried to beg but he just doesn't care." Or at least Wufei thought he didn't since Duo showed no indication of even hearing him speak. "I've lost my best friend." He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "It wasn't like it was my idea from the start, hell half the times I wasn't even given a choice, he'd just grab a hold of my cock and sit down." He grumbled, sounding like a whiny child even to himself.

Quatre blinked slowly. "I was wrong, I need another bottle." Luckily he didn't have to go far and were soon back at the table again.

Wufei didn't let the interruption bother him as he went on.

"If I could just get him to listen so I could try to explain. I never meant to hurt him, I have to try to tell him that… if he would just listen." He sighed shakily "I need help, I just don't know what to do."

Quatre emptied the glass.

"I'm out of ideas." Wufei sighed. "Everything I try just ends up being ignored. How am I supposed to get him to forgive me if he won't even acknowledge my existence?"

He turned to Quatre to hear what he had to say.

"I had a cat." Quatre announced airily, looking up at the dark mold on the ceiling, observing it like it was a priceless piece of art.

Wufei stared at his friend like he had finally lost his mind.

"She was named Isfahan, like the city and the rugsss." Quatre slurred as he raised a finger to follow the edge of the mold stain. "Mainly because she sure destroyed many of my mother's rugs."

Wufei wondered if he should leave and let Quatre enjoy his insanity in peace.

"I couldn't bring her along with me when I left for school but it was probably just as well. Boarding schools for boys are most likely not the friendliest places for a cat to be."

"Fascinating." Wufei muttered, wondering if he should go find Heero instead, at least he wouldn't share his childhood memories while doing absolutely nothing to help him.

"She was always so angry at me when I came back, like she couldn't believe I would be so cruel as to leave her behind." He tried to get a hold of his glass, only to miss with an embarrassing long distance. "She would refuse to play with the fluffy ball I had given her and she usually loved that toy, chased it around everywhere. She would ignore me and refuse to be anywhere near me."

Wufei lifted his head off the table where it had landed in despair. That last part had felt awfully familiar.

"She wouldn't even eat if I was the one who had filled her bowl."

"So what did you do?" Wufei asked, feeling something close to hope for the first time since the whole mess had started.

"Absolutely nothing." Quatre announced happily.

Wufei's head dropped down on the table again. That was not helpful.

"I walked around doing everything I felt like doing. I practiced on my violin, I took long refreshing walks, watched movies, read books, played video games and listened to loud music which she hated." Quatre snickered drunkenly, spilling wine over his shirtsleeve. "It drove her crazy and soon she was crawling all over me to get my attention."

Wufei gave Quatre a long look. "That's so stupid it just might work."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N That was it for now, please tell me what you thought about it :)

Sorry for the long wait. I got stuck, then I went to England and then I lost my Internet connection. Yeah, I know, excuses, excuses. I'll try to be faster next time.

(Oh, and go to Gundam Wing universe if you want the porn. It's not very long but it's porn)

_Bethany Shiver_- There will be one more chapter after this and then the epilogue, hopefully I will be able to bring you all the answers :) oh and if you're wondering about Duo's bad day I'm most likely going to post it next week ^^_ Cinnamon Selkie_ - I do believe you were right to worry because Duo is far from pleased. But don't worry, I don't do those icky unhappy endings._ anf600_ - Oh Duo remembers alright, a bit too well. And to answer your question, he went into heat because he's partly female by now. Kind of like when someone who takes hormones to change their sex can ether grow breast or a beard._ animefangirl0219_ - LOL! It took me like forever before I got the 4th July thing. I was like 'did I miss something? What's so special about today?' It wasn't until I checked your profile that it clicked. Right, american. They have something to do with fireworks today. Anyway, I've been very well, thank you for asking :)_librarycat9_ - The porn is half the fun so I'm glad you read the 'longer' version ;) Unfortunately, Duo doesn't feel very understanding at the moment._ Cristalake _- And the shit hit the fan. Was it as bad as you expected? I'm happy you enjoyed the sex because I did enjoy writing it :)_ kidishcaresh _- Thank you, glad to hear you... liked it? LOL! There will be more soon enough :)


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes._ - Indian Saying_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo tensed up as Wufei walked into the kitchen, making himself ready to leave as soon as the useless words started coming again. He did not believe them and he didn't want to listen to them, so he didn't.

No words came.

Duo paused, glaring threateningly.

Wufei didn't even glance at him as he walked past him over to the refrigerator.

Duo watched him suspiciously as he started to prepare what looked like wet rice. Duo slowly stalked in a wide bow around Wufei, watching his every move. He had no idea what the other boy was up to. Wufei couldn't have missed that he was in the room; that was impossible.

Curling up on top of the washing machine he stared at the other boy between the damp clothes hanging from the lines. His tailed swung slowly behind him as he followed Wufei's movements with his eyes.

Then when he was done, Wufei packed up everything and left without acknowledging him.

Duo felt the hair on his back stand up as he realized what was going on. _Oh hell no!_ He was not going to be ignored, no way in hell! How dared he! How dared he ignore him like he was the one who had done wrong!

Duo hissed angrily, his claws making an appearance as they scratched the metal under him. He was not going to stand for this.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei had never been so relieved as the following morning when he opened his sock drawer and found it empty. Since he had just done his laundry it should be full, but it wasn't. Even the pair he had used yesterday was missing.

Sobering up to stop the stupid grin from spreading over his face, Wufei left to go down stairs. This was going to work, he just knew it.

The first thing he saw when he came down was Duo who was perched on top of the ricked shelf next to the toilet where they stored their kitchen cutlery. Wufei was silently impressed. The shelf was barely holding together and he had not thought it was possible to climb on it.

By the looks on the faces of the rest of the pilots around the table, Duo must have climbed up there as soon as he heard him come down the stairs. Wufei didn't spare the looming shape a glance as he walked over the refrigerator and took out the rice porridge he had prepared the day before. He could hear Duo's claws scratching against wood as he stared down at him. Wufei held his eyes straight forward as he took his time heating his breakfast before walking over to the shelf to get got a spoon out of the plastic box there. Duo loamed threateningly over him but Wufei just turned and went to sit down at the table.

"Winner, would you mind lending me a pair of socks? I seemed to have misplaced mine." He asked as he sat down with his back against the glaring boy. The wooden chair was already warm, meaning that he had taken Duo's. Perfect.

Quatre was looking from him, over to the shelf and back to him again. "Uhm."

Wufei made a dismissive motion with his hand."Oh never mind. It's such a nice day; I think I'll go without." He said with a relaxed smile.

The rest of the pilots stared at him like he had lost him mind.

A sudden thump and the sound of silverware banging together was heard and Wufei could only assume that Duo had jumped down, making the old shelf knock into the wall.

Wufei could feel Duo stalking towards him, the anger radiating off him feeling like a physical touch. Quatre was looking over his shoulder with wide eyes, Heero's hand was on his gun and Trowa looked like he was having the time of his life. Wufei could feel a sense of danger approaching and instead of turning around to confront it as his instinct told him to; he took a hold of Quatre's orange juice and calmly threw the content of the glass over his shoulder.

The angry yowl was enough to make even Heero jump. Wufei greatly enjoyed the shocked looks on his fellow pilot's faces. In the corner of his eye he watched a quickly retreating shape sprint up the stairs.

He took a spoon full of his porridge. This was so going to work.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later that day, Wufei had strategically taken a seat in his armchair with a cup of black currant tea. He knew that for some reason the smell of it would make Duo not only come running but also get him really horny.

It barely took a minute before Duo crept into the room. His friend was just a dark shape as he slowly snuck along the walls. Wufei pretended not to care and took a sip of his tea.

He could see the shape coming closer, slowly moving towards him in the corner of his eye.

Duo was glaring intensely at him but Wufei paid him no mind, calmly taking another sip of his tea. He could tell that it was infuriating his friend greatly.

Duo came up at his side, glaring down at him with his teeth bared as an angry hiss could be heard. Wufei turned a page in his book and lifted his ankle up to rest against his knee. Relaxed and uncaring, that was what he was. Never mind that his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest and that his throat was unnaturally dry, no matter how much tea he drank

He heard more then saw Duo dig his claws into the armrest of the chair. The sharp popping sound was soon followed by a harsh tearing one that indicated long rips through the yellow texture. Wufei silently sacrifices his beloved chair by not reacting to the provocation.

There was a moment of silence. Wufei waited in both dread and anticipation to see what Duo would do.

Wufei startled and fought to hold back a hiss of pain as sharp claws suddenly pierced the skin of his forearm. He could feel blood pouring down, running down his wrist and dripping down on his white pants.

Slowly without looking at Duo, Wufei closed his book and got out of his chair. Without a word he left, blood dripping from his carelessly hanging arm.

Despite the pain he grinned as soon as his back was turned.

This was so going to work.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei woke up as a harsh hand gripped the back of his neck, holding him down. All that stopped him from throwing his attacker off was the familiar pressure of claws against his skin. He felt Duo straddle his back, putting more pressure on his hand as he settled in.

"Try to ignore this, fucker." Duo hissed angrily into his ear. "Who the fuck do you think you are huh? Who gave you the right to ignore me?"

Wufei forced himself to breath calmly, if he didn't he probably wouldn't get enough air between the grip on his throat and the pillow under his head.

"You're the one who fucked up ya know. And don't you dare tell me you just wanted to help, cuz I'm not fucking buying it." A sharp claw scratched across the back of his neck, most likely drawing blood. "Tell me, Saint Chang who just wanted to help poor little me, what was going through your head when you decided to fuck me even though you knew I didn't want you to?" Duo asked provokingly and when Wufei didn't answer he used his grip to shake him. "Come on now, let's hear it. You knew exactly what to do before. Never hesitated for a moment while fucking me, did ya?" The accusation was delivered with an undertone of hurt that could not be ignored. "Come on, you're the book guy with all the fancy words. Let's hear it, what's your defense?" Duo challenged harshly.

This would most likely be Wufei's one and only chance to be forgiven.

He closed his eyes before speaking. "I love you."

A second of silence that felt like an eternity followed. "What?" Duo questioned angrily, grabbing a hold of his shoulder to flip him over. The grip was still tight around his throat but was now a lot more painful as it pushed against his airway.

But it was nothing compared to the conversation. Oh, how it hurt his pride to say these things, to be this vulnerable. But this was a fight that he could not afford to lose and he couldn't hold anything back if he wanted to savage even the smallest scrap of their friendship.

"I love you." He repeated through his humiliation.

"Is that why you did it? You wanted to fuck me that badly?" Duo sneered down at him, eyes glowing spookily in the dark.

Wufei swallowed awkwardly. He had to tell the truth. "Because I thought it was the best decision and… and because I wanted to."

"Knew it." Duo hissed in triumph. "Fucking bastard, hope you enjoyed the joy ride because it just might been your last." He held his long claws out, indicating a very messy castration. "I always known that you wanted me, I could smell it. It was like a fucking magnet for the thing in my head."

A small piece of hope that he didn't even know that he had died inside of Wufei. That explained why Duo went after him. Wufei had naively felt chosen for Duo's interest, obviously reading too much into it. Duo had only responded to Wufei's own arousal, he had not felt anything on his own. Wufei closed his eyes in shame and sorrow. He really had been the only active one in this strange relationship.

"I'm going to make you wish you never agreed to that stupid plan." Duo promised with an evil grin that usually only showed up in the heat of battle.

Wufei flinched. "I'm sorry." He said softly but the words seemed to have as much affect on Duo as a snowflake had on a roaring fire. "At the time there just didn't seem to be a better alternative. It- it just got out of hand. I swear I didn't mean to go so far. It was just going to be once and then once wasn't enough and…" He trailed off guiltily. He didn't know what to say but the grip on his throat had lessened slightly. He took it as a good sign. "Maybe it would have been better if someone else had done it but no one was volunteering and then-" He blushed uncomfortably under Duo's intense gaze. "I confess that I was not fully prepared for the intensive actions and the temptation." He took a deep shaky breath, looking Duo right in the eye. "I never meant to hurt you, it just… it was so easy to go along with it."

"You started thinking with your cock." Duo spat, scraping his claws down his throat.

Wufei flinched at the harsh words but he had to admit that Duo had a point. "Yes. I'm sorry, I failed you."

His words made his friend pause before he whispered three words that cut Wufei's soul up. "…Yeah, you did." Duo soundlessly climbed off him, taking a seat at the edge of the bed where he stared out into the room.

Wufei sat up, absently rubbing his throat, feeling sticky blood under his fingers as he smeared it over his skin. He watched the dark shape of his friend, trying to find word to express just how sorry he was but none came to him. He had not communicated with Duo through words for so long that actions seemed to come more naturally. Drawing his legs up underneath him he leaned forward to reach a hand out towards the slumping boy.

Duo flinched and Wufei barely had time to blink before his friend had escaped across the room and leaped on top of the closet next to the door.

'Shit, bad decision.' He could barely see Duo up there. He was so tightly curled up against the wall that you couldn't even see the fluffy tail.

Wufei's heart sank.

Duo was right; he really was making him regret it. He didn't know what he could have done differently but he should have tried harder to figure something out. He should have recognized the signs earlier so he could have talked to Duo about it first. He should have locked Duo in and spent those two weeks outside the door to keep him company. Should have, could have, would have. It was too late now. The damage was done and there was nothing he could do to make it undone.

Feeling like the world was on his shoulders, Wufei got up on his feet. The room was so quiet it might as well have been empty, the only sound coming from his bare feet against the floor as he started walking. He sat down in front of the closet, leaning back against the door with his arms wrapped around his bare chest.

He didn't know if anything he could say would make any difference in the end, but at least Duo was listening to him now. With a resigned sigh he continued his confession. "I misjudged how much of what was going on was done by your own actions." He pulled his legs up against his chest as he remembered how Duo had been acting and the signs he had unknowingly ignored. "You could understand what I was saying so I just thought… that you were still aware and somewhat in control."

There was only silence from above him.

The sun was starting to rise and the smallest hint of light was searching its way into the room. It was most likely going to be a nice day today. One with no missions or rain, a perfect day to play outside with your best friend. If he still had one.

"Was it really that bad?" Wufei couldn't help but ask, feeling like he was losing hope. What could he possibly say that would make a difference?

At first he though Duo wasn't going to answer him then he heard a long sigh. "The fucking itself?" Duo mumbled above him. A soft shuffling and the familiar sound of claws against wood were heard. "No." He confessed very reluctantly. "I'm just..."

Wufei looked up, meeting Duo's eyes that were peeking out over the edge. "You're pissed because you didn't have a choice."

"… Yeah."

"I had a choice and I made the wrong decision and you were the one to suffer for it."

A moment of contemplating silence then Duo landed next to him. He didn't make the mistake of reaching out for him again even though he wanted to. Together they sat there, watching the sun rise over the forest.

From the other side of the wall they could hear the faint sounds of Heero getting up to start his morning run. It wouldn't take long now before the rest of the pilots got up as well. Usually Wufei was the next in line to rise even if his routine had been a bit disturbed lately. Instead it was Quatre's voice they heard much later as he greeted Heero when he got back. Trowa was the last to get up, he usually was.

"We can still be friends, right?" Wufei asked as the sound of the waking pilots faded away.

Duo was quiet for a moment, staring blindly at the floor before sighing deeply. "Yeah… but I'm still pissed at you."

"I know."

They sat quietly next to each other, watching the sunlight move slowly over the wooden floor.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

The next chapter will be posted as soon as I get it back from my beta.

Oh, and if anyone here has any suggestions on what Duo and Wufei in "No Normal People" should be doing, then please tell me, I've gotten stuck. If you can think of something that you would like to see in the classroom, the bathroom, the cafeteria, at home or out on the town, anything at all, then you might just get it.

_**adeusparaiso**_ – Hehe, believe me, you are not the only one who's annoyed with ff's no-naughty policy. Like the kids wouldn't be able to find the porn anyway. *rolls eyes* I'm glad to hear you like my Wufei, I've put a lot of love into torturing him :) _**killing u with umbrellas**_ – Thank you :D The next chapter shouldn't take as long since it's done and I sent it off to my beta three days ago. _**starless-ocean**_ – What you described was more or less exactly like the first idea that came to me but I felt it as a bit too much Hollywood and it wouldn't solve the actual problems… but it would have been sweet. So very, very sweet and fluffy. *sighs sadly* oh well, the fluff is just going to have to wait._**W. –**_ Very happy to hear that you like the pace, I sometimes have a habit of rushing things without noticing and it's nice to know that I've managed to hold myself back ;) And the battle of the socks continues! _**sarah999**_ – Thank you :) And can't you just see Duo on all four, glaring at a small rubber ball as it escapes him? Believe me when I say that I had a lot of fun writing that part. _**Turtle Kid the Woolgatherer**_ – Did you change your name or are there more turtle kids running around? Unfortunately, the story is staying sad for a little while longer :( Realism and all that. _**Cinnamon Selkie**_ - You're right, the dreams are not from the cat, but that doesn't change the fact that Duo is stubborn and kind of straight. I think you need to hide for a while longer because it will take a while for the fluff to come back. Sorry! _**Staticpulse29**_ – I actually did a lot of research on cats since I don't have any of my own. I visit a lot of people with cats through my job and I memories a lot of behavior and cat stories. I also read up a lot on the cat itself (love Wikipedia) . Glad to hear that it paid off :D _**Bethany Shiver**_ – LOL, actually I tried to make it funny but I'm pretty sure I failed. It turned out more angry and sad then funny. Oh well, I'll get there. _**anf600**_ – Hehe, yeah, poor Wufei thought he would escape the dreaded PMS but it was not to be. Actually, I think most cats are a bit like PMS'ing women, something that Wufei really is going to have to get used to. _**Gintsumi**_ – Thank you and sorry you had to wait so long, next chapter shouldn't take as long :) _**P. Cythera**_ – yeah, cat's really hate it when you ignore them, especially when they want you to notice them. Duo sure isn't much better :D _**Cristalake**_ – Oh I totally agree with you, cats have a way of making you feel small. And I must say that I'm totally stuck on No Normal People. I have half a chapter that is totally blank. Is there anything you would like to see that could fill up that space? _**librarycat9**_ – I might have to check out those book, they do sound interesting. Who knows… might get some inspiration._**kidishcaresh**_ – LOL, indeed, a lot of torture going around. But hey, it's just so much fun ;)_**salllzy**_ – Thank you :D Funny and meen it's what it's all about, now we just need some fluff so wrap it up.


	14. Chapter 14

Warning: This chapter in un-betad. My beta is swamped but this thing has been done for four months now so I think that a lot of you would rather read this than wait until she isn't.

If not, you can just wait, I'll update and let you know when the fixed chapter is done.

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Chapter 14

_Confront a child, a puppy, and a kitten with sudden danger; the child will turn instinctively for assistance, the puppy will grovel in abject submission, the kitten will brace its tiny body for a frantic resistance._ - **Saki**

Or

_The cat does not negotiate with the mouse._ - **Robert K. Massie**

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Wufei had spent a couple of nights alone in bed before he woke up as someone curled up on his back. Feeling incredibly relived, Wufei had been out like a light after just a second or two.

From there it took a couple of weeks but slowly they managed to regain their friendship. That didn't mean that Duo wasn't a bit uncomfortable around him every now and then or that Wufei didn't feel attracted to Duo. But in all, things were looking up for them.

The war moved on, uncaring of their problems and wishes. It didn't take long before the rutting old house was once again empty. Heero was the first to go. He had another boarding school to infiltrate until Relena would once again show up like a heat seeking missal. Second was Quatre who was sent off to surveillance and then attack a training camp on L3. Trowa snuck off soon after, no one knew where.

By then Duo and Wufei had decided to share a small cabin up in the mountains until their missions forced them to split up.

The cabin they found really was that, small. One room that contained both a miniature kitchen area, a bed and a old tub. There was no stove, only an old fashion fireplace with a metal hock where they could hang their only pot. Their toilet was the surrounding forest. Wufei couldn't believe that they had actually found a place that was worse than their last one. He couldn't help dreaming back to earlier luxuries. Cooks and maids, take out…in door pluming.

Wufei sighed wishfully, his thoughts filled with white porcelain, running water and soft toilet paper. It was a nice fantasy, one that was rudely interrupted by an unpleasant smell. He wrinkled his nose as Duo strolled passed. "Duo, you need a bath." He said in a no-nonsense tone.

"I'm not dirty." Duo dismissed from where he was in the middle of finding a comfortable position in a sun spot on the worn wooden floor.

Wufei determinately put his hands on his hip. He was not going to bend on this point. Duo had been out rat hunting again and simply licking off the blood and guts did not satisfy Wufei. Not to mention that he knew that there had been over two weeks since Duo had washed his hair. "No, but you smell."

Duo just glared and Wufei wondered why these sort of things always had to be up to him to fix.

"You're hair needs to be cleaned and -no- you can't lick it clean so just get that idea out of your head right now."

Duo glared at him with a superior air of one who knew better.

Wufei ignored him. "I'll run you a bath."

Filling the tub took quite a while since he had to carry the water from the well outside and then boil as much as he could over the fire. When it was filled and the temperature was fitting he arranged the shampoo bottles and went to get a can of tuna so he could hunt down his escaped friend. It only took him about twenty minutes and a couple of shallow scratches to catch him. Du had made the mistake of crawling in under the cabin, foolishly thinking that he would be able to hide. It had been easy to distract him with soft words, slow movements and an open can of tuna. Then when the fish had been digested and the narcotics he had mixed into it had started to work the only thing left was to drag the limp body back inside.

"It's for your own good." He told his dopily glaring friend as he pulled his clothes off and lifted him into the water .

A low, slightly slurred hiss was his only answer.

He didn't expect much else.

Wufei rolled up his sleeves and poured some shampoo on top of his friends head. With a heavy hand, Duo tried to wave him away but only succeeded in making himself slide further into the tub.

Wufei paid him no mind as he poured a bit of water over Duo's head and started washing his hair. Massaging the shampoo into the thick hair and taking care to carefully clean the big ears out was a lot nicer than it should be. He tried to not feel guilty about enjoying it.

"Revenge." Duo mumbled, only to be drowned out by his own purring as Wufei worked the shampoo into his scalp.

From there he moved on to washing the tail the best he could without making Duo slide down under the water edge. He also made sure to wash Duo's feet properly since his friend had taken to walking around with bare feet all the time.

He ignored the erection poking against his fly as he did his best to keep his thoughts pure. Well, he tried anyway.

Unfortunately the narcotics wore off somewhat and when he turned around to get a towel for the hair, Duo took the opportunity to escape.

Wufei watched him go with an amused sigh.

Figuring that there were no point in trying to talk Duo into drying off he focused on the spilled water. Duo was hiding under the bed and Wufei could feel the angry glare follow him around the room as he did so.

Well, at least he was clean.

The computer standing on the small kitchen counter beeped. Drying his hands on the damp towel, Wufei strolled over to check the screen

What he saw made him falter. Then with an elbow on the edge of the counter, Wufei read the message again. And again.

"I just got a message from Trowa." He said without turning around, eyes still stuck on the screen. "He has apparently been looking for leads on what had happened to you." He took a deep breath."He… found a couple of files."

"Files?" Duo suddenly appeared at his elbow, still naked and dripping.

Wufei nodded. "It appears like you weren't the only one who suffered through this." He heard Duo take a sharp breath and a hand came up to grip his shirt."He has a tip on where they might be."

Duo nodded shortly. "When do we leave?"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"I think we're at the right place." Duo said faintly from where he was hunched down next to him under the thick bush.

Wufei didn't comment, he just stared with wide eyes at the building beyond the metal fence. The whole place was crawling with cats. They were on the roof, curling up on the window edges, chasing each other over the weed covered yard and hiding under military vehicles. Wufei had never seen so many cats all at once.

"Let's see if there is any weakness in their security one the other side." Wufei said quietly, eyes on the heavily armed guards.

Duo huffed. "Fuck that, you stay here. I'm going in."

"What?" Wufei hissed angrily. "You better n-" But Duo was already at the top of the tree and from there he easily jumped the five meters separating him from the roof of a parked military truck. He wasn't even close to the high barbed fence.

Wufei held his breath as he watched the dark shape balance on the edge of the truck before leaping over to the ceiling of a garage.

"If this doesn't kill him I will." Wufei whispered to himself as he watched the agile body move over the roof.

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There were two guards stationed over by the gates at the front and two at the back. The later were calmly having a smoke on a wooden bench, their riffles leaning against the backrest.

"So then she wanted us to get a cat but I refused. The last thing I want to see when I go home is more bloody cats." One of the guards complained, making the other laugh while Duo sneaked passed over their heads.

It took a lot of concentration to make sure that his steps were soundless and Duo cursed his heavy boots, wishing that he had gone without. He startled as something suddenly bumped against his leg. He looked down to see a large tomcat rubbing itself against him.

"Go away." Duo grumbled quietly, pushing the cat away from him. He looked over at the roof of the main building. He could probably jump all the way over there but not without making any noise. Maybe if he-

Duo froze. Did the little fucker just try to hump his leg?

He looked down. The cat had its front paws wrapped around his shin and was happily humping away at his ankle.

Duo hissed angrily, pushing it off. He went back to his task but was soon interrupted again. Duo twitched. The cat was humping him again with a blissful look on its face.

He grabbed a hold of the cat by the neck and throw it over the edge.

The cat hating guard screamed as the pissed off feline landed straight on his face.

Duo took advantage of the distraction and jumped over to the next roof. From there he found a small air went that he managed to squeeze though.

He ended up in a long white corridor, lined with cell doors. His ears flexed as he heard the muffled sound of turning bodies. There were people trapped behind all those locked doors. It was like something out of a nightmare, one of his own in fact.

He shivered unhappily as memories of 'the yellow dungeon' tried to worm its way out but he refused to let them, not now.

It was time to get some information. After a bit of tinkering, he managed to get the closest cell door open. Carefully not to scare whoever was on the other side, he opened the door.

The room was dark and empty besides two curled up shapes in the far corner. "Uhm, hello?" He tried awkwardly.

Two pair of glowing eyes stared soundlessly at him. Duo wondered if his own eyes did that and if they did, why hadn't Wufei gotten a heart attack from all the times Duo had snuck into his room at night. It was creepy.

One of the shapes, a girl by the smell of it, slowly started to unfold herself. They were both naked and Duo could see thin fur growing more or less over their whole bodies.

Duo watched as she moved closer on all four, nose in the air as if to take him in. She didn't have any cat ears but her own seemed to be bigger than those of a human.

"Do you know anything about the layout of this place?" He asked hopefully.

The girl tilted her head at his words, as if trying to decipher them.

Smaller words then.

"What's your name?" He asked slowly.

The girl sat down with her back straight and Duo for the first time noticed the long slim tail that came out to rest around her. "Minni." She replied after a moment.

"Hi Minni, I'm Duo. I'm going to get you out of here, just not right now. I need to get rid of the guards first." He paused to check if she had anything to say but when the cell remained quiet he went on. "Do you know where the security control room is?"

She shook her head. "No Guards. Lab. Locked"

"…Right." He turned to the other curled up girl. "What about you?"

The girl didn't answer him, she just sniffed the air and gave him a suspicious glare. She on the other hand did have the large pointy ears that looked far too big on her. And- whow, was that three pair of tits?

"No point. She no talk." Minni said sadly.

"Why?" Duo asked, finding it hard to rip his eyes away from half a dozen full breasts.

She seemed to search for the words she needed. "Wrong in head, too much cat."

Duo felt a shiver of fear rush up his spine. "Do you know how many there is in here?" he forced himself to ask.

The girl struggled to unclench her furry fingers, that seemed to want to stay in their clenched form. She held up ten fingers, closing them into a fist again. Duo was about to comment when the fists slowly opened and then closed again. He was starting to feel sick when the fists opened for the fourth time, this time only showing him eight fingers. Thirty eight. There were thirty eight people in here. Thirty eight people who had gone through what he had and possibly even worse.

Duo wanted to turn on his heel and run back to Wufei. To leap up into his arms and have his friend take him far away from there.

But he couldn't do that, he couldn't leave them there.

He focused on Minni again. "Where are you from?" Duo couldn't recognize the accent. It didn't sound like she was from earth, L1 most likely or perhaps L4.

The girl tilted her head in question. "Before here?" She seemed to think, her forehead wrinkling as she fought to remember. "Too long, ship, Door and sand."

Duo nodded as if it had made sense, feeling a lump in his throat. He wondered if this was all there would have been left of him if his friends hadn't come looking for him.

"I'm going to close the door behind me, but as soon as I can I will let you back out." He said, backing up a few steps with a hand on the door.

The girl didn't say a word, she just stared emptily at him.

The picture she made as the light from the corridor became thinner would forever be stuck in Duo's head. The door closed with a haunting boom.

"Shit." He whispered. To think that he could have been one of them. Stuck in a dark cell as his humanity slipped away. He would rather die.

He suddenly froze as he heard steps coming his way, then a second later he recognized the smell.

"I told you to wait outside." Duo hissed.

Wufei shrugged as he came to a stop next to him, wearing a slightly too big guard uniform. "I got bored."

Duo glared. Wufei was being an overprotective mother hen, again. But despite his annoyance he couldn't help but feel grateful. He didn't want to be in this place all alone.

"So what have you found out?" Wufei asked quietly, looking down the corridor.

"Thirty-eight victims, two in each cell. Still haven't found the security center."

Wufei nodded. "Well, if we stay around out in the open like this they are going to be the ones to find us."

"Nothing will make me happier than some armed guards right now." Duo said. He had a lot of aggression to work off.

"Well I would rather we skipped that part so can we at least try to be a bit discreet?"

They started walking when a heartbreaking whine could be heard from the other side of a door. Someone was in a lot of pain in there

Wufei took a step towards it. "We should take a look."

"What happened to being discreet?" Duo said, crossing his arms.

"We should at least check on whoever is in there."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine. We'll make sure that she's alright but we are not going to set them all free now, we have a job to do."

Wufei nodded. "Of course."

With a sigh, Duo got his lock picks out and stared working on the door. After a moment he glanced over his shoulder. "And would you stop staring at my ass you damned perv."

"Sorry." Wufei mumbled, not sounding all that apologetic, in fact Duo was pretty sure that the second he turned away, Wufei's eyes were once again checking out his ass. Horny fucker.

The door opened with a click and Duo stepped back to open the door. Out of the dark a pale shape leaped, pushing Duo out of the way as it ran towards Wufei.

Duo pulled his gun, fully prepared to shot if it meant protecting Wufei. But hurting the other boy wasn't what the liberated woman seemed to have in mind. Instead she seemed fully focused on getting Wufei's pants off.

Duo lowered his weapon as he watched the strangest wrestling match he had ever seen.

"God damn you, don't just stand there. _Help me_." Wufei hissed, putting a foot up between a pair of full breasts, trying to hold her away from him. All he seemed to accomplish was leaving his cock unprotected from her searching hands.

Wufei yelped and tried to duck and roll away from her. For a second he was free, than she was on him again.

"I'm starting to get your fascination with the hairy back." Duo remarked calmly as he took a couple of steps closer to look down at the tumbling couple. He gave the naked woman a look of appreciation, letting his eyes linger on a fur covered butt and what he could see of the temptation resting further down. "That is actually rather hot." With that he raised his gun and hit the woman it the head. She collapsed down on top of Wufei who quickly pushed her off.

Wufei shivered, rubbing his hands up and down his arm as if trying to chase the feeling of the her hands away from his body. "That was so gross." He finally said as he went in a wide bow around his fallen attacker.

"At least she wasn't trying to get something up your ass."

Wufei gave him a look as if to say 'let's not go into that argument again right now' and fastened his pants tighter around his waist.

Together they lifted the fallen woman back into the cell, giving her hissing roommate a lot of space before closing the door once again. "Strange, there were just females in the other cell as well." Duo remarked. "Do you think they have another place for the male ones or…"

"Or maybe they only meant to make females." Wufei spoke up. "That would actually explain a lot." He said with a thoughtful sound.

"I'm not a girl:" Duo hissed angrily.

"Exactly, which would be why you're-" Wufei cut himself off as if trying to find a different word for the one he had planned on using. "the cat part of you-"

"Parasite." Duo hissed.

"The parasite." Wufei agreed easily. "Since this transformation seems to be made for women it would explain why your parasite makes you act like a female and take on a more submissive role in the…" Wufei trailed off, clearly getting the feeling that by the look on Duo's face it would be in his interest to shut up right this second.

Wufei awkwardly cleared his throat. "Anyway, we should try to find some kind of research material. Anything that might give us a clue on what has been done to you and how to handle the result."

Duo nodded grimly. "I fucking hate the bastard who did this to me." He grumbled angrily, pulling the bandana down closer around his ears.

Wufei shrugged. "Well, you did kill Dr. Emerson, who I assume was a very good friend of the man responsible."

Duo just glared.

Wufei went on, unaffected. "He most likely needed a guinea pig and who better then someone you want to take out your revenge on?"

Duo ignored his logic. He didn't care why they had done what they had, all he cared about was that they suffered and died for it.

They searched on. The two top floors seemed to contain only cells. It pained Duo to walk passed all those doors. Helpless mewls could be heard from behind several of them and here and there a weak human voice begging to be let out.

The third floor contained operating rooms and several recovery rooms. It smelled heavily of hospital supplies and it made the hair on his back stand. He remembered all too well what rooms like these were used for. Duo felt very uneasy, memories he had been trying hard to suppress were coming back to haunt him.

In the end of the corridor they finally located the security office. The door wasn't even locked and Duo found and before Wufei could protest, killed another guard who had been sleeping with his feet up on one of the surveillance monitors.

Absently he licked the blood off his fingers as he looked around the room.

"I'm going to kill them all, just so you know it." Duo said calmly, following the guards on the screen with a feeling of satisfaction. Wufei started to protest but he cut him off. "No, we do this my way and I say they die."

Wufei looked closely at him and whatever he could read of the look on his face seemed to convince him because with a sharp nod, he agreed.

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They waited until dawn.

The daytime guards arrived for their shift, greeting the guards by the gates before driving the truck in onto the yard. They were laughing, talking and complaining over the early hour as they entered the building. What followed was a bloodbath that Wufei later confessed was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. Ruthlessly Duo hunted down every single guard, ripping them more or less to pieces with his claws and teeth. One of the guards managed to get to the weapon locker and succeeded in firing off a couple of shots before Duo leaped on top of him. Like a mountain lion, Duo closed his teeth around the unprotected neck in front of him. The sound of it breaking echoed through the room in a horrifying clarity.

Wufei was trying to stay as far out of the worst of the slaughter, focusing on executing anyone trying to get passed him out the door.

In the end, the corridors were painted in sticky blood and the floor decorated with broken bodies. Somewhere in the other room he could hear Wufei throwing up. He was going to check on him when a distant noise distracted him. Duo grinned evilly as he looked out the window. The scientists had arrived.

One of the guards had quickly explained how to unlock all the doors when he had asked, clearly thinking that he was going to be spared if he did. He wasn't, but Duo was grateful for the instructions, it made the next part of the plan easier.

"Have a nice afterlife, fuckers." Duo snickered, grinning down at the unsuspecting scientists.

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The sound of thirty eight pissed off cat women taking their revenge on the people responsible was music to Duo's ears. There were screams of pain, begging and crying. Just what they deserved.

"I wish we could have done more." Wufei said softly as he watched a Siamese looking woman leap over the fence and disappear into the forest.

"They're free, that's all we can do." Duo said tightly as he turned away from the building. "Come on, let's go before they all get out." He gave Wufei a sleazy grin."Or maybe you want to stay around to wait for your blond."

Wufei glared and walked off, a bit faster then he normally would have.

Duo snickered as he followed him.

It was with a light heart he left the burning lab behind him.

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A/N

That was all for now, please take a second to leave me a word about what you thought about the chapter :)

Next chapter on Friday next week.


	15. Chapter 15

Still unbetad.

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Chapter 15.

_A rose has thorns, a cat has claws; certainly both are worth the risk._**-Unknown**

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Wufei enjoyed his life to a certain extent. He didn't like the war and the killing but he loved his Gundam and the power rush he got when he controlled it. He hated their primitive cabin but he loved living with Duo.

So in all, life was good. They lived, worked and fought together in a slightly tensed but happy friendship that meant the world to Wufei.

And then Duo started going in to heat again. The signs were easy to read and he instantly knew what was going on. Only that Duo obviously didn't.

"Um, Duo." He started, trying to make contact with the purring bundle in his lap who was rubbing his face against his throat. "I think we need to talk about something."

"Mmmm?"

"I'm pretty sure you're going into heat again."

Duo froze, pulling away from him. "I am not" He protested defensively, ears flat against his head and teeth bared.

"I'm pretty sure you are." Wufei inflicted.

"Yeah, well prove it." Duo huffed nonchalantly.

Wufei gave his friend a thoughtful look. "Sit next to me without touching me."

Duo rolled his eyes, sitting down next to him on the bed. "This is stupid." He declared.

Wufei picked up his book and started to read.

A few minutes later Duo was starting to fidget. Another couple of minutes later he was leaning against his shoulder, then suddenly he had crawled up in his lap.

"I rest my case." Wufei declared as he stroke Duo's back.

"Hm?" It seemed to take a moment before Duo realized what he was talking about and where he was. He moaned unhappily. "Not again."

"Unfortunately it doesn't look like you have any choice." Wufei said sadly. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well you are not putting you cock up my ass again, that's for sure." Duo spat angrily.

Wufei flinched and looked away. "So how are we going to handle it?"

Duo shrugged uneasily. "Can't you just ignore it?"

Wufei let out a laugh that felt slightly hysterical. "I don't think that's an option, you are very hard to ignore."

Duo grunted in annoyance "Well just lock me in or something then."

Wufei hesitated, remembering Duo's reaction to being locked up for half an hour in a bathroom. "Are you sure that would be a good idea?"

Duo obviously wasn't happy with the idea but shrugged like it didn't matter. "Don't know what choice we have." There was a moment of silence before Duo spoke again, this time in a small hesitant voice. "You'll keep me company now and then right?"

"Of course." Wufei planned on being there every second he could.

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They decided to return to their old safe house, the old building giving them the seclusion and the room they needed.

They informed the rest of the pilots what was going on and where they could find them. It didn't take long before the old house was ones again inhabited by all five terrorists. Wufei felt that in a way this thing was bringing them together in a way that the war hadn't manage to do. They were all worried about Duo and were going to make sure not only that Duo's secret was going to be kept but that Duo was going to make it through this.

The rest of the pilots might act like it was all a big inconvenience and that they were all uncomfortable with Duo crawling all over them, but so far no one had made any move to leave.

There was loyalty between them, there was no doubt about it.

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They decided to prepared a room for him but Duo had refused set a foot in there until he absolutely had too. Instead it became up to Wufei had made sure he had everything he needed and that there was nothing Duo would seriously injure himself on in there. There were no sharp corners, nothing with an edge. And no way out.

Days passed. It was like a slow count down. Was this the time? How far had Duo gone?

Wufei steeled himself and accepted the touching and the unintentional come ons by his friend who was slowly slipping away before their eyes.

Then when Duo no longer could get any words out, Wufei took the decision that it was time.

It had been both physically and mentally painful to shut Duo in. Mentally because Duo was protesting desperately, crying out in pathetic mewls with tears running down his face and physically because Duo used his claws a lot.

They were all bleeding and exhausted by the time they managed to lock the door. Not even Trowa seemed to find anything entertaining about the situation as they all tiredly shuffled away to the sound of Duo's sorrow filled yowls.

Wufei sank down with his back against the door, legs straight out as he tried to get his breath back. Duo was whining unhappily on the other side, his claws scratching the wood helplessly.

"Shyyy, it's okay Duo, I'm here." He tried to comfort, his hand held over a particularly deep scratch mark on his arm.

Duo sniffed with a soft mewl but at least he stopped his scratching. Wufei could just imagine Duo curling up against the door, all alone.

He laid down on the floor, looking in under the door. His eyes instantly meet Duo's overflowing ones. Wufei's heart contracted in pain at the sight.

"Shhhhy, it's okay Duo."

Duo whimpered and pushed his fingers in under the edge, trying to reach him. It was so pathetically sad that Wufei wanted to cry too.

He risked scratches by reaching in with his fingers, softly petting Duo's fingertips.

"Shyyy." He whispered.

Two of Duo's fingers managed to get a hold of one of his, holding on to it with an awkward but desperate grip.

Wufei sighed sadly, closing his eyes. They would make it through this. It was only two weeks after all.

God help them.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei woke up from his slumber on the nest he had made outside the door. It only took him half a second to realize what had woken him up. Someone was trying to pull his pants off. With a desperate grip on the waistline he kicked Duo hard in the chest, trying to get him off. It only worked for a brief moment before he was back again. "Need some help here! Guys! Help!" Wufei screamed trying to roll away from his attacker. Duo ruthlessly followed him, hissing angrily as he resisted.

Then came salvation. Heero took a grip around Duo's waist and ripped him off, earning himself some new scratches.

Duo was hissing and spitting as he squirmed like possessed, which in a way was exactly what he was.

Quatre came running and dived in to grab a hold of Duo's legs.

"Watch the tail!" Wufei urged, earning himself two looks of disbelief as his fellow pilots fought with everything they had just to stop Duo from ripping them to pieces. By then Trowa had showed up armed with four rolls of ducktape and together they managed to bundle Duo up into one very pissed off package.

"God, this is so disturbing." Quatre groaned as Wufei pulled up what was left of his pants.

"You're telling me." He muttered as he fumbled with the scratched up waist line. "How the hell did he get out? The door is still locked!"

Together they searched through the small room and the bathroom until they all stared in disbelief at the only opening. The small air vent in the bathroom. Wufei figured that he could probably get a leg and possibly an arm out but that was it.

"How is that possible? Wufei asked faintly, still staring at the slim hatch. A small child would probably have a hard time getting out through it.

"Isn't there a saying that if a cat can get its head out, it can also get the rest of its body out?"Quatre asked, sounding like he didn't believe his own words.

"Yeah but Duo isn't a-" He cut himself off, looking over at the open doorway and the slitted eyes that were watching his every move. "Never mind, do we have anything to use to nail it shut?"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The mark of two weeks came and went and Wufei was close to breaking down.

Duo was ether crying and begging to be let out with heart breaking mewls or running around in endless circles, destroying everything in his path. There would most likely not be anything left of the room when this was over.

When it was over…

By god he hoped it was over soon. Wufei didn't know how much more of this torture he could take. He wanted to take Duo's pain and desperation away but Duo would never forgive him if he went in there and just fucked his brains out.

It was hard to tell who suffered more, Duo in his prison or Wufei as his unwilling prison guard.

The others would take over outside the door while he went to the bathroom or showered but he was rarely away for longer than half an hour. Neither Wufei or Duo could handle any longer time apart.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Wufei?"

The raspy voice brought Wufei from his restless sleep in an instance.

"Duo?"

"Y- yeah." Duo whispered shakily

Wufei got up on unsteady feet and hastily unlocked the rasps and locks they had attached to the outside of the door. He had just gotten the last one open when the door was flung open and a rumbled shape leaped up into his arms.

Wufei sank down on the floor, wrapping his arms and legs around Duo who was crying helplessly in a way that was terrifying to listen to. He had never see Duo like this and he hugged the shaking body close.

"Shhyyy, don't cry please don't cry:" He begged, rocking the two of them back and forth.

"That was horrible." Duo subbed. "I hate being alone and it hurts, _it hurts_! I'm not doing it again. I won't!"

"We'll figure something out." Wufei promised, feeling Duo's claws press into his back as he was hugged tightly.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They really had tried to figure something out, examining all the research material they had managed to get their hands on and Sally experimenting with everything she could think of. She had been working over time, feeding Duo different compounds of hormones and drugs that she thought would help but so far nothing had slowed down the impending two weeks.

But one thing was clear, locking Duo in again would not be an option if Wufei had anything to say on the matter. His friend was beyond traumatized by the imprisonment.

Duo now refused to be alone for more than a few minutes and would follow Wufei around every second he could. Hell, Duo wouldn't even let him take a piss alone. Sometimes he wasn't sure the water had time to touch him during his showers. A couple of times he had even let Duo join him in there so he would have time to wash his hair without Duo having a mental breakdown on the other side of the door.

It was clear that leaving Duo all alone had been too much and that he had suffered greatly during the weeks he had spent isolated. And now, barely a month later it was time again, no matter how much they had all been dreading it.

This time they tried a different approach. They contained Duo to a steel bed, reasoning that at least this way he would be able to have company and some human contact. It had all gone horribly wrong and they had to abandoned that idea after just a couple of hours when Duo had fought his restraining until his shoulder had popped out of place.

So they were forced to shut him in again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei closed his eyes, trying to force the tears back.

Duo was crying again. Softly subbing as his claws scratched uselessly against the door.

It tore Wufei's heart up.

It was the same thing every day.

Duo was in pain and he could do nothing about it.

Duo was lonely but Wufei couldn't hold him.

Duo released a long sorrow filled yowl that seemed to echo its way down the corridor. Wufei could just sit and listen.

This had to end. This couldn't go on.

With tears running down his checks, Wufei got off the floor an unlocked the door.

Duo didn't even try to take a shot at freedom, too busy rubbing himself against him the second he stepped in.

With a shaky breath, Wufei reached out to stroke a hand over Duo's cheek. "Hey kitten." He whispered, feeling his stomach tighten when Duo didn't glare at him for the pet name.

"Please, please forgive me because I can take this anymore." Wufei begged quietly as he pulled the unresisting body into his arms. Duo just purred loudly, licking him where ever he could reach.

Hugging his friend tightly he took a moment to just breath him in, to feel him so close. Then he let his hands trail down and slowly he pulled Duo's sweatpants down.

Duo's cock was hard and Wufei felt claws press against his sides as he took a hold of it.

"Shhy, Come on, non of that. Lay down." Carefully he dethatched the sharp claws from the texture of his shirt, pulling those eager hands away. Duo was cooing and mewling in a way that both went straight to his cock and at the same time as it made him nauseous. It reminded him just how little control Duo had over himself. It burned and self hate twisted inside of him. Duo didn't want this. Didn't want him. Wufei was doing it against his will. If killing hundreds of people didn't get him reincarnated into a bug or something, raping his best friend -_again_- most definitely would.

He managed to get Duo to lay down on the floor. The room was a mess and there was practically nothing left of the mattress so Wufei didn't bother going for it.

Duo was twisting like a wild thing under him, his claws scratching his skin and tearing at his clothes as he bent down to take Duo's cock in his mouth. It barely took ten seconds for Duo to come . Wufei grimaced and swallowed quickly as he rolled away, expecting Duo to lash out. But no attack came, instead Duo was purring happily as he tumbled over on his side before clumsily getting up on his knees. His intentions were very clear with his ass in the air. Duo was not done.

Wufei gave the inviting ass a quick look of longing before he scrambled to his feet and ran for the door.

Duo must really have been affected by his orgasm because it wasn't until Wufei had already locked the first lock that he heard Duo's roar of outrage. Hanging on the door handle with his forehead to the door he listened in shame to Duo's anger. He had done that, he was the one responsible. He couldn't believe that he had just done that, Duo was never going to forgive him. With the taste of spunk in his mouth he tried to control his breathing, tried not to break down crying all over again.

"What's going on? You okay?" He heard Quatre ask.

Wufei looked over at his friend, swallowing thickly to get the words out. "Yeah, fine."

The blond obviously didn't believe him but he had the courtesy not to question him and went back into his room, closing the door behind him.

With his pulse thumping in his temple, Wufei slide down the door to land on his knees, head still resting against the door. What was he going to do?

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo was a lot calmer the rest of that day, his constant stream of noises sounding more like an invitation then a plea for help.

It was comforting in a way, to know that he had made Duo feel a bit better at least.

Maybe he could do it again, if only in emergencies. Maybe Duo wouldn't be as angry with him if he just pleased Duo, not himself. And stayed the hell away from that amazing ass.

Maybe.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Over the next couple of days Wufei made the decision to suck Duo off two more times. The result was more or less the same with the difference that it became harder and harder to leave. Duo didn't want him to go and would get more and more aggressive when Wufei wouldn't give him what he wanted.

The next time he snuck into Duo's room, his friend wouldn't let him have his way, refusing to let Wufei just get him off. Duo wanted to be fucked and nothing else was going to do.

In the end, Wufei had wrestled himself free and almost taken Duo's fingers off as he shut the door behind him.

Duo was being very vocal about how displeased he was with the situation and Wufei could almost imagine hearing curse words in there.

There had to be a way to give Duo what he wanted at the same time as he respected his wishes.

Maybe…

Wufei froze.

No. He couldn't. Could he?

Duo wouldn't like it, but seeing and hearing Duo become more and more frustrated and angry was breaking his heart.

A crash was heard from inside Duo's room, closely followed by a sorrow filled cry.

Wufei closed his eyes, fists clenched.

This couldn't go on.

It might be worth a try…

Trying not to think he steered his steps towards the kitchen.

Duo's cries could be heard all the way down to the second floor, following him like a dark cloud.

The tree pilots around the kitchen table looked up from where they were working their way through the secret documents that Trowa had stolen during an infiltration.

Without a word he marched over to the refrigerator, opened it and bent down to grasp what he needed. Steeling himself he turned around.

"You can't be serious." Quatre said, looking a bit pale with his eyes stuck on the carrot in his hand.

"If you have any better ideas I would really like to hear them." Wufei hissed defensively.

Trowa looked amused and Wufei could just tell that he was teasing him about the size of the vegetable. "Oh fuck you." He grumbled. He was bigger than the god damned carrot but it would be a cold day in hell before he was going to proclaim that in the middle of the kitchen. Especially since he had more important things to do. With his head held high he started walking.

"I'm never eating carrots again." He heard Quatre mutter behind him as he climbed the stairs.

Feeling like he was dreaming, Wufei took a quick detour into his own room before pausing outside the door in the end of the corridor, resting his hand on the heavy lock. " Duo."

A hopeful mewl came from the other side of the door.

"You know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, right?"

Another soft mewl followed by a gently scratching.

"Fuck, what am I doing?" He whispered brokenly, thumping his head against the door.

Duo whined in question, the scratching getting more insisting.

"I can't do this, you'll never forgive me." He could hear Duo moving restlessly on the other side of the door and he knew from experience that it wouldn't take long before Duo had another one of his fits.

"Please just hang on and… and…" He trailed off. There was nothing he could say. Right now there was only one thing that would make Duo feel better and that was exactly the thing that Duo didn't want him to do.

A wail started up on the other side of the door, growing in strength. It made Wufei think of a mother screaming out her sorrow at the death of her child.

"No, Duo, please don't." He whispered, hitting his fists uselessly against the wood.

The yell went on and on and on. It cried out sorrow, pain, loneliness and endless unhappiness.

"Stop." Wufei begged, pressing his eyes closed. "Please stop."

But Duo didn't stop, he just kept screaming. His voice was turning harsh and scratchy but still he screamed.

Wufei tightened his grip around his earlier dismissed idea. In defeat, he unlocked the door.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

There was a very awkward mood in the air when Duo came out his estrus.

He wouldn't look him in the eye even when he was more or less following him around everywhere. Wufei was relieved that he didn't seem angry with him but the way his friend was avoiding him even when they were in the same room was not as promising.

Wufei was quickly losing his patience. He was sick of not knowing where they stood and how he should act. It was reminding him more and more about his marriage. The uncertainty, the awkwardness and the lack of sex. Yeah, it was Meilan all over again.

This had to end, this _all_ had to end before he lost his mind.

He closed the bedroom door behind him, looking over at Duo who was lying at the foot of his bed.

"Listen, I know you're uncomfortable with what happened but it's the only thing that works, okay?" He said crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

Duo looked really uncomfortable as he squirmed, looking at everything but him.

"You told me yourself that it wasn't that bad." Wufei tried. "Not to mention that I didn't actually… you know." Still no responds. "Let's just think of it this way, I'm not hurting you and you enjoy it so-"

"I'm not gay." Duo protested, ears hanging and claws pressed into the beddings.

"That is not the point, the point is-" Wufei cut himself off, hiding his face in his hands. "Is that I can't keep doing this."

Duo was deadly quiet before he responded harshly. "You're abandoning me?"

Wufei didn't have time to answer before Duo was on him. He was shoved down on his back, landing hard with claws digging into his throat as Duo glared down at him with his teeth bared in anger. "You are not leaving me!"

Wufei closed his eyes, not even trying to set himself free. "I need your permission to do what I feel is right because this is killing me."

Duo paused, releasing his grip on him.

They sat quietly next to each other.

"It's not like having sex with a guy makes you gay." Wufei said, quietly wondering if he was telling the truth or not. "I'm not saying that we should be in a relationship or anything just… that we take care of each other."

"You're out of your mind." Duo snorted in a tone of voice that wasn't really dismissive.

Deciding to take a chance, Wufei slowly reached out a hand and scratched Duo behind one of his big ears. His friend didn't move away, instead Duo's eyes dropped close almost at once and a deep purr could soon be heard. Wufei put a bit more effort into it and then when Duo was totally relaxed he let his other hand move down his chest, petting him with calming strokes.

As Duo's slack body started tipping over onto his shoulder, his hand moved further down. Stroking his chest firmly in a way he knew Duo liked. Moving down, down, down. Fumbling slightly then stroking calmly again before stopping.

Duo abruptly stopped purring and glanced down at his hard cock that was resting proudly in Wufei's hand. He observed it with wide eyes. "Okay… that was a bit of a surprise." He said faintly.

Wufei decided that he might as well play this thing all out if this were to end the way he wanted it. Ignoring just how much of a bad idea this was and that he was in a way making the same mistake all over again, Wufei moved closer. He pushed Duo's knees further apart and bent down to give the best blowjob he could accomplish while being so nervous that his hands were shaking.

"Shit, give a guy a warning or something." Duo mumbled faintly when it was all over and they rested next to each other on the floor.

Duo hesitated before he carefully leaned forward, brushing their lips together as if checking that it really was possible to kiss a guy. Wufei, who really had not been expecting to be kissed, managed to do very little to prove to him that it indeed was possible.

Duo frowned. "Maybe we should just stick to fucking."

Wufei was at this point ready to accept anything he was being offered. "Whatever you want." He took a deep but shaky breath. "...So, still friends?"

"Friends with benefits." Duo corrected, lying back down. "Let's not forget about the benefits." He said before curling up next to him in the sun that had snuck its way into the room. Half a second later he was asleep.

Wufei was left staring down at him, his own cock so hard he could feel his pulse in it.

What the hell had he just gotten himself into? It was insane and he really should have thought this through before suggesting it.

He had a feeling that he was going to find himself in this situation pretty often. Duo relaxed and satisfied while he was left both physically and emotionally unsatisfied. This really wasn't a very good deal for him.

Wufei sighed. He was just going to have to take care of that part himself. With one hand stroking Duo's head, the other snuck its way down into his own boxers.

Who was he kidding? It was going to be so worth it.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The End.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

Now before you go for the pitchforks, let me just say that there will be an epilogue.

The link to the adult version can be found on my profile page.

Now for some info from a random googled page.

Cats go into heat frequently throughout the year if they are not spayed or neutered. The female cat has 2-4 estrous periods every year, each lasting 15-22 days. If she is bred, estrus seldom lasts more than 4 days. If successful mating does not occur, estrus may last for 7-10 days and recur at 15- to 21-day intervals. It is possible for an unmated female to cycle every 3-4 weeks indefinitely.

In translation, Wufei have one hell of a busy time ahead of him. XD


	16. Epilogue

Warning: Still unbetad

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Epilogue

_You are my cat and I am your human. - Hilaire Belloc_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei grunted a bit as he put the heavy box down on the kitchen floor. His back wasn't what it used to be as it was constantly reminding him. Luckily this was the last box to be carried in for now.

The new house, or maybe it was considered a large cabin, wasn't even half the size of their old home but now days they didn't need a place that big. The kids had all moved out and started families on their own and the old house had really been too big for just the two of them.

Duo had been against moving at first. He was a creature of habit and any change was bad change to him. But Wufei had been firm on this point, if he was going to be all alone while Duo was on tour he was not going to do it in a house the size of a small mansion. Just vacuuming the damned place had taken a whole day.

Not to mention how empty the place had felt when he was the only one there. Somewhere over the years, Wufei had forgotten how to enjoy being alone. He was no longer the solitary dragon who needed no one, he was a closeness needing, affection seeking old dragon who long ago had lost all sense of dignity and just wanted a cuddle.

Several children and a husband who didn't understand the concept of personal space would do that to you.

Being home alone had therefore proven to be harder than he had first thought. It had been torture and he even started talking to himself, just so there would be some noise around him.

He had in a weak moment thought that getting a cat would be a great idea. It could keep him company while Duo was away and it had so many traits that fitted well with Duo so it couldn't be anything but a success.

He had taken in a black tomcat from a shelter. A slim handsome cat who had enjoyed lying in his lap and didn't show any indication of wanting to destroy any furniture. For a few days it had been perfect.

Then Duo had gotten home, taken one look at the cat and refused to talk to him for days.

The cat only got to stay for another two hours before Wufei had to return it. Duo had then forced him to clean the entire house to get the smell of the cat out and he had slept in the car until it was done.

Wufei had later tried a dog for about a week until he realized that it was just not going to work, no matter how much Duo and the dog avoided each other. Well at least it went better then when their eight year old daughter brought home an injured sparrow that she was going to nurse back to health. In the end there had been one very traumatized little girl and a lot of feathers to clean up. Wufei wasn't about to repeat that fiasco any time soon. There would be no more pets for company. It was another reason they had chosen this specific location. Two of their own kids lived just twenty minutes away with their families and the family of one of Duo's co-performers lived on the other side of the lake. Wufei looked forward to getting to baby sit his grandchildren more often, even if his poor back was most likely going to end up worse for wear.

Wufei took a look around the kitchen, taking in all the boxes and bags spread all around. It was going to take forever for him to unpack everything. And if he wanted at least the kitchen to be done by the time the kids arrived tonight he was going to have to get a move on. Duo wasn't going to get home for another two days so he was on his own there.

Wufei sighed. He missed Duo like crazy while he was gone. Like he always did. The circus had been touring the colonies for three months now and Wufei felt like he was slowly losing his mind. He could just imagine how Duo felt.

He walked over to the kitchen counter and opened one of the boxes standing there. It was filled with plates wrapped up in news papers. Dropping the paper to the floor he started lifting them into one of the cabins.

He wondered how much longer it was to Duo's heat cycle and if they would have time to spend any time with the children before it was time to shut themselves in.

He did a quick count on his fingers, figuring that they had at least a week and a half. Duo's cycles had gotten a lot more stable with age, not like before when they were teenagers and Duo went into heat seemingly randomly. But soon enough they started to recognized the signs and always made sure that they had a baby sitter and a cabin in the woods reserved. Spending a week loudly fucking each other's brains out was such a great way to take a vacation.

Thank god that they had finally dropped the whole friends with benefits thing. Wufei couldn't imagine his life without the kids and the ring on his finger.

Duo had been stubborn there for a while but when they had decided to get the kids, even he had realized that they had a relationship. You don't make the decision to start a family with someone who is just a friend… that you have sex with… and get insanely jealous over when someone flirts with.

Wufei fondly remembered the poor shopkeeper who had very innocently hit on him while he had been shopping. He sometimes wondered just how the guy had explained to himself what had happened. It's not every day someone jumps you from on top of a shelf of canned beans and tried to rip you to pieces with claws like a tiger while hissing at you.

Wufei smiled at the memory, thinking that Duo really had been pretty dense back then. Adorable but blind. Trowa had a lot of entertainment as he made fun of the both of them, but Duo especially since he had a habit of reacting more strongly. Even now, over thirty years since the end of the war, Trowa Barton still had the ability to turn Duo into a pissed off beast ready to start ripping throats. And the bastard enjoyed every second of it.

Wufei unpacked two more boxes before taking a break, wandering aimlessly around the buildings five rooms.

If he got the time he should try to prepare the living room too. When all the kids arrived there was going to be a need a lot of space. They had planes to turn the old barn into a kind of guest house for the kids who lived further away when they and their families came to visit but for now they would have to camp on the living room floor.

They were going to have to make sure that the pipes wouldn't freeze during the winter and that the windows were holding out the cold air. Damn, there was so much to do. Wufei sighed, rubbing the small of his back. He wasn't even fifty and he felt like he was eighty. Having grandchildren did that to you he assumed.

The kids were going to be there in a few hours to help him unpack but his pride wouldn't let him sit around and wait.

He jumped as arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him. "Caught you:" Duo rumbled happily in his ear. Wufei felt his whole body relax, leaning back into the embrace.

"Hey, what are you doing back so early?" He asked, lifting a hand to rub behind a big furry ear.

Duo purred under the attention. "Trowa sent me home, said I was being a pest and that they could pack up without me."

"Imagine that." He teased lightly as he turned and dragged his hands down Duo's body.

Duo didn't respond to the barb as he was far too busy arching into the touch, purring for all he was worth.

Leaning forward he placed soft kisses down Duo's throat. "When do you start practicing again?"

"Two months."

Wufei hummed happily. "I get you all to myself then."

Duo had been with the circus for almost twenty years now and their performances were one of a kind. Duo called it a freak show but Wufei was more inclined to call it a performance by unique individuals.

Duo and the two other victims of Dr Emerson formed a very impressive if slightly strange acrobatic act that never seemed to get old. Wufei had been very proud the first time he had seem Duo walking calmly across the stage with both his tail and ears in plain sight for the entire audience to see. Back then it had been a huge thing while now days it was still strange, but not unheard of as more and more of the victims came forward. And there were many of them.

Why a respectable scientists had kidnapped several women to a lab and turned them into some kind of half cat, half human combination who went into heat a lot more often than a real cat was something that Wufei didn't want to think about. It made him even more grateful that they had managed to get Duo out in time.

It had taken some time but Duo had finally found peace with the changes and everything that came with it. Well, except for the hair on his back.

Wufei loved the fall and winter because that was the time when Duo skipped the shaving and the waxing and let the fur grow wild. The fur on his back wasn't as long as on the tail but it was just as thick. It spread from the back of his thighs up to just above his should blades. Wufei could enjoy the softness as much as he liked for those precious months.

It was like having your very own fluffy, heated blanket.

At lease he had talked Duo out off shaving his ass since he was pretty much the only one who saw it. The white fur was still light and soft, much to Wufei's enjoyment. He could spend all night petting it. Gripping those firm globes, feeling the hair that gathered up between his fingers as he squeezed and rubbed and- damn, why think about it when you could do it?

Wufei shamelessly pushed his hands into the back of his husbands pants, gripping the hairy buttocks tightly.

Duo moaned happily, humping hungrily against him.

It was time to move along. With there hands all over each other they managed to make their way to their bedroom. There were no sheets on the bed yet and as they tumbled down on it, Wufei gave a brief thought about how much they were going to regret not putting any on later.

Luckily, years of experience had made him unpack the lube first of all and the tubs were waiting for them by the bed. It had taken a few months before Duo had given up on the notion that he didn't enjoy 'having it rammed up his ass' as he so charmingly put it and since then Wufei always had lube at hand.

Wufei was lucky if he got to be on the bottom one time out of ten. Not that he felt any reason to complain because really, who would with this kind of view?

Duo was already naked, up on all four with his tail flat against his back and three fingers up his ass.

Wufei almost fell over in his haste to get out off his pants as fast as humanly possible. He waited impatiently as Duo's fingers worked, his hand stroking up and down strong shaved legs. He could hardly wait until the hair grew back.

Then Duo was mewling his want and with a firm grip on his cock, Wufei lined up and-

_Ah sweet merciful God. That was it, right there_. The tight muscle started closing in around him, holding him tightly as he leaned forward, sliding further in.

Duo was letting out whining little moans that did nothing to help Wufei's self control. It was so good, far too good.

Then he was in and he started to move. Slowly at first, just gliding lightly along the passage, then deeper and firmer. Then faster and, sharper.

Duo was rarely picky about how he got fucked, as long as he got it when he wanted it and was forgiven for the occasional bite and scratch marks. Other than that Wufei was free to pick speed, position and mood.

It had been too long. Duo had been away for months and Wufei wasn't fond of masturbating. It was over much sooner then he wanted to but at least he had managed to get Duo off first. His husband would give him hell if he didn't. With a happy sigh, Wufei cuddled up against his husband. Thank God Duo had mostly stopped lashing out after sex, it had been such a buzz kill. It still happened every now and then while he was in heat and it was always a good idea to store a first aid kit in the bedroom.

But his life was far too good for him to even think about complaining about it. He had his kids, his grandkids, a job he liked and a husband who loved him. One couldn't ask for more.

Wufei smiled as he stroke his hand down Duo's back, listening to the deep satisfied purr. Back when they had been just friends, Wufei could never have imagined that Duo would become so comfortable with his sexuality. Duo even considered himself to be gay now, despite the fact that Wufei was the only man he had any interest in. Duo loved and accepted him just the way he was. He proved it regularly but Wufei admitted that he had a favorite memory of one of Duo's love declarations. For their one week anniversary in their first house, Duo had gone back to the old safe house and gotten his armchair.

Wufei had been extremely touched, especially since his husband still hated it and would refuse to go anywhere near it. In the end the chair had been banished to the laundry room of all places. Strange as it sounds, it was actually the perfect place for it, even the moisture in the air felt fitting when it came to the armchair.

Wufei had happily taken full responsibility of the laundry. It was actually quite comforting to curl up in the yellow chair in a room that the rest of the family only ever visited to look for a favorite sweater or argue loudly with him for not seeing the importance of washing those specific jeans that just had to be worn right then. In the almost twenty year they had lived in their old house, Duo had not set his foot in the laundry room once. He hated the smell of it, the noise, the size of it, the lack of windows and beyond that, Duo hated the chair.

Wufei loved the laundry room.

With a house full of children and a husband who enjoyed following you around and climbing on top of you, it was nice to have a place where he could be alone for a while.

When house searching this time around, Wufei had done so with the specific goal in mind to find a home with a laundry room big enough for a yellow armchair and perhaps a small table.

The laundry room in this house was perfect. It was in the basement, no windows, barely big enough to fit both washing machine, dryer, several laundry baskets and the arm chair. No table, but Wufei could manage without it. And Duo hated it, which made it even better.

"Dad! We're here! Where is the cleaning supplies? The kid threw up in the car!" There was a pause and the both men stared at each other. "Dad!"

"Your son is calling for you." Duo said smugly, pulling the cover over himself.

"He could be calling for you." Wufei grumbled as he got up and started searching for his clothes.

"Naw, Heero is such a good little daddy's boy, he's definitively searching for you."

Wufei sighed and pulled on his pants.

Now time to stay in bed, there were still a lot to do. They had to unpack the kitchen boxes so that they could start dinner and they needed to put the mattresses up and check the heating to make sure they wouldn't be cold during the night. And they needed to get started on making dinner.

How much potatoes would they need? There were a couple of people in this family who ate more then the rest, no names mentioned but a certain braided man was in the front line.

"Dad!"

"Don't shout! I'm coming!" Leaving his softly purring husband in bed, Wufei went downstairs with his head filled with thoughts about potatoes, unopened boxes and ways to get puke off car seats.

The End.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N.

Finally, the end :)

Leave me a word would you? It would make me very happy.


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